ORANGE, Calif. (AP) — Drugs, alcohol and speeding were likely factors in a single-vehicle crash that left three people dead and four others hospitalized, authorities said.
All seven occupants of the Nissan Altima were ejected when the car rolled over and crashed into a light pole around 2:45 a.m. Saturday in the city of Orange, according to police.
Five of those in the car were minors and two of them, a boy and a girl, died at the scene, said Orange police Sgt. Phil McMullin. Their ages weren’t immediately disclosed.
A 26-year-old man was also killed, the Orange County Register reported.
A responding police officer found the Nissan in flames on its side and the seven victims on the ground, McMullin said.
The driver, a 19-year-old man, was among those critically injured, the Register said.
Of the three surviving minors, a boy and a girl were in critical condition and a boy suffered moderate injuries, McMullin said.
“Witness statements, along with evidence at the scene .. indicate alcohol and drugs were likely a factor in addition to speeding,” police said in a statement.
