Aug 8, 2008 8:48 pm US/Pacific
4 Dead After Car Drives Off 91 Fwy Into Tree
CORONA
Four young people were killed Friday when an older-model Honda, possibly traveling as fast as 100 mph, slammed into a tree on the eastbound Riverside (91) Freeway in Corona, shredding the car into pieces, authorities said.
Jesus Santacruz, 22, of Corona, was at the wheel of the 1990 Honda sedan when it crashed around 2:15 a.m. on the eastbound 91 near Lincoln Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol.
"When I responded to the scene, I found a solo vehicle that had hit a tree," CHP Officer William Boyzk told ABC7. "My preliminary estimates put the vehicle at a very high rate of speed, approximately 100 mph. That was also substantiated by witnesses who actually observed the collision."
Along with Santacruz, passengers Nicolas Egelin, 18, David Gonzalez, 20, and Orlando Isguerra, 23 -- all of Corona -- were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Riverside County coroner's office.
Boyzk said the young men may have been returning from an Anaheim nightclub at the time of the crash.
The sedan, which hit a palm tree, was torn into several pieces, said CHP Officer Octavio Magana.
"It was a pretty major impact that caused the front end of the car to break off," he told KCAL9, adding that all the victims appeared to be wearing seatbelts.
There was no word on whether alcohol or drugs played a part in the accident.
No other vehicles were involved.
Several lanes of the eastbound 91 were closed until around 4:30 a.m. while the crash was investigated and the wreckage cleared.
Anyone with information about the accident was asked to call the CHP Riverside office at (951) 637-8000.
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