1 Killed, 1 Arrested in Pileup that Triggered 4-Hour Freeway Closure

One Orange County man was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and another was killed in a pile-up Thursday on the transition from the southbound I-5 to the 133 toll road.

The series of three crashes forced the closure of the transition for nearly four hours. A 39-year-old man who survived the initial crash was killed when he got out of his car to check on the other driver.

It began just after 5 a.m. on the southbound I-5 when the driver of a black Dodge Charger swerved across several lanes, striking a white GMC Yukon, said California Highway Patrol Officer Florentino Olivera.

The driver of the Charger, Joshua Garmon, was later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, Olivera said. It’s Garmon’s second DUI arrest, added Olivera.

Garmon claimed a big rig clipped him causing the crash, but there is no evidence of that Olivera added.

“There is no sign of a big rig,” he said. “There are no witnesses at this time. There is nothing to substantiate his statement.”

According to The Orange County Register, the driver of the Yukon was Juan Ticas, 39, of Santa Ana.

Ticas got out of his car to check on Garmon then walked back to his vehicle, said Olivera. As he stood outside his SUV talking on the phone, the driver of a black Nissan SX swerved to avoid the crash but lost control and hit Ticas, sending him over the guardrail and 50 feet down to his death, Olivera said.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Seconds later, a third crash occurred when the driver of a white Toyota Camry was unable to swerve to avoid the Charger.

Anyone with information about the crashes is asked to call the CHP at 714-567-6000.