3 Injured in Car Crash Down 605 Freeway Embankment

IRWINDALE, CA - A vehicle went off the San Gabriel River (605) Freeway and down an embankment in Irwindale Saturday, causing major injuries to three people, including two boys who were airlifted from the scene, authorities said.

The crash was reported at 2:11 p.m. on the southbound side of the freeway north of Arrow Highway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A 39-year-old Azusa woman driving a 2002 Ford Explorer "made an unsafe movement to the right," and lost control of the SUV, which crossed all lanes and struck a metal light pole on the right shoulder of the Arrow Highway off- ramp, CHP officers reported. The SUV then went down an embankment and came to rest in the bottom of drainage ditch.

The woman and two boys who were passengers, one 13 and the other 7, suffered major injuries, according to the CHP.

The driver, who had been trapped in the wreckage, was taken to a hospital in an ambulance, Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Rudy Gilson told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, which reported that the two boys were airlifted to County-USC Medical Center. Neither alcohol nor drugs were suspected to be factors in the crash, according to the CHP, which reported that the woman was not using a seat belt.

The boys, also residents of Azusa, were strapped in, according to the CHP statement. It's unclear if the victims were related.

The Arrow Highway off-ramp from the southbound 605 was closed after the crash and a SigAlert was issued.

The off-ramp was reopened about 5 p.m. and the SigAlert cancelled.

—City News Service, photos courtesy of the Los Angeles County Fire Deparment