Drunk Driving Suspected in Lake Forest Crash that Killed Woman, 26

LAKE FOREST, CA - A 26-year-old woman was fatally injured this morning when the driver of the car she was in, a man suspected of driving under the influence, smashed into a tree at an intersection in Lake Forest, authorities said.

The crash at the intersection of Lake Forest Drive and Jeronimo Road took place about 3:35 a.m., said Orange County sheriff's Lt. John Roche.

"Deputies responded to the scene and found two patients trapped inside a 1964 Dodge Dart that had crashed into a tree," Roche said. "Firefighters freed the two victims and transported them to Mission Hospital."

The woman died at the hospital and the driver, a 27-year-old man, sustained serious but not life-threatening internal injuries, Roche said.

"Right now we are investigating this as a DUI case and the driver will likely be booked on vehicular homicide and driving under the influence charges," he said before dawn.

No other vehicles were involved and no other injuries reported, he said.

City News Service