Victims of wrong-way 60 Freeway crash identified; driver arrested
The driver of a Chevrolet Camaro who is accused of slamming head-on into a Ford Explorer on Sunday on the 60 Freeway in Diamond Bar, killing six people, was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, authorities said.
The two passengers in her car, identified Monday as Kristin Melissa Young, 21, of Chino and Maya Louise Culbreath, 24, of Rialto, died at the scene.
Gregorio Mejia-Martinez, 47, who authorities believed was in the Explorer, also died at the scene. Leticia Ibarra, 42, Jessica Jasmine Mejia, 20, and Esther Delgado (whose age was not immediately available) were also killed in the three-vehicle crash that involved a Ford Freestyle, although it was not immediately clear which vehicle they were in.
PHOTOS: Wrong-way crash on 60 Freeway
Authorities arrested Olivia Carolee Culbreath, 21, on suspicion of felony driving under the influence and felony manslaughter after the crash, which occurred around 4:40 a.m. when her Camaro crashed head-on with the Ford Explorer.
She may have been driving faster than 100 mph, witnesses told authorities.
Authorities said the Freestyle driven by 57-year-old Joel Cortez, who suffered minor injuries, was also struck after the initial collision. His son, Jonathan, said that “all he remembers really is just the airbag going off and he was just moving and moving, and finally the car came to a stop and he looked around, there were people like, lying on the ground, and he said it was like something you would see out of a movie.”
“We’re actually really blessed to the fact that we still have him. We know that six people have been killed from this, and we send our condolences to those families and friends of the victims,” he told ABC7-TV.
Culbreath was in serious but stable condition at a hospital with a ruptured bladder and broken femur, California Highway Patrol spokesman Rodrigo Jimenez said.
Lt. Fred Corral of the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office said investigators “believe from what they found in the vehicle that alcohol was involved.”
After dark on Sunday at the Culbreath home in Fontana, Olivia’s brother Kehtai Culbreath said the family knew little about her condition and did not want to talk about the incident.
“There’s not much to say,” Kehtai Culbreath said. “We’re all still grieving.”
Twitter: @latvives
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