Crime & Safety
Victims in Long Beach Freeway Crash Identified
The man and woman were outside their vehicles talking about an accident that had just occurred.
Two people fatally struck on the Long Beach (710) Freeway as they stood outside their vehicles after an accident were identified today by authorities as Silvia Sanchez, 29, of Carson, and David Ortega-Aguilar, 22, of Long Beach.
The pair died at the scene in southbound lanes, just north of the San Diego (405) Freeway, shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday, coroner's Assistant Chief Ed Winter said. A 2003 Lincoln Aviator driven by Sanchez, with a 17-year-old Long Beach girl onboard, and a 1996 Honda Civic driven by Ortega-Aguilar crashed, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Both drivers, along with the teen, got out of their vehicles to look at the damage, the CHP reported. Moments later, a 1999 Honda Civic was struck from behind by a 2006 Chrysler Town & Country minivan, the CHP reported.
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``The impact pushed the 1999 Honda Civic forward, where it collided with the 1996 Honda Civic causing it to spin out of control,'' the CHP said. ``The 1999 Honda Civic spun into the center divider wall and collided with two occupants from the Lincoln Aviator and driver of the 1996 Honda Civic.''
The teenage girl, who lives in Long Beach, was hospitalized with what the CHP called major injuries. The driver of the 1999 Honda, a 27-year-old Bellflower man, suffered minor injuries. The driver of the Chrysler, a 70-year-old South Gate man, was uninjured.