A 54-year-old woman died and four people were injured in an early morning wrong-way crash on the 405 Freeway in Irvine on Tuesday, CHP officials said.
The woman was driving a 2010 Nissan south in the northbound carpool lane about 1:20 a.m. when she slammed head-on into a 2014 BMW near Harvard Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The crash caused the Nissan to flip, and the woman — who was not wearing a seat belt — was partially ejected from her car, authorities said.
She died at the scene, according to the Orange County coroner’s office, who identified her as Rieko Toyama of Gardena.
A 29-year-old Westminster man and a 29-year-old Fountain Valley woman in the BMW were seriously hurt in the crash, the CHP said. They were taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange with major injuries, authorities said.
Two people in a third car suffered minor injuries, authorities said. While the Nissan was on its roof, a 2008 Mercedes-Benz crashed into it, according to the CHP. The Mercedes’ 74-year-old driver and a 71-year-old passenger — both from Westminster — were taken to a trauma center in Santa Ana for treatment.
It’s not yet clear whether drugs or alcohol played a part in the crash, authorities said.
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