CHP officers responded at 11:37 p.m. to the southbound Interstate 5 Freeway near the Lakewood Boulevard off-ramp and found a gray car and a second vehicle disabled in the middle lanes of the freeway.
Downey, CA. – The man and woman who were killed in a fatal collision that happened late Wednesday night in Downey have been identified as 24-year-old Alexis Velez Sanchez and 18-year-old Marely Ariana Fragoso Herrera.
The victims died at the scene of the collision on the Golden State (5) Freeway at the Lakewood Boulevard off-ramp.
Both victims died from blunt trauma, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Original Story
Downey, CA. – Two people were killed late Wednesday night in a two-vehicle collision on a freeway in Downey that also left traffic lanes closed for more than three hours, according to the California Highway Patrol.
CHP officers responded at 11:37 p.m. to the southbound Interstate 5 Freeway near the Lakewood Boulevard off-ramp and found a gray car and a second vehicle disabled in the middle lanes of the freeway.
Two occupants were pronounced dead at the scene by Downey Fire Department paramedics. Their identities, ages, and genders have not yet been released.
The crash forced the closure of several southbound lanes of the I-5 for more than three hours as officers documented the scene and crews worked to clear the wreckage.
The cause of the collision remains under investigation.
In 2022, the City of Downey recorded a total of 797 victims killed and injured in various traffic collisions. This figure placed Downey at an Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) ranking of 8 out of 61 similar-sized cities in California, indicating a relatively high number of incidents compared to its peers. Specific collision types highlighted in the data include 64 incidents involving alcohol, resulting in an OTS ranking of 19/61, and 105 speed-related collisions, which ranked 9/61. Additionally, there were 38 pedestrian and 33 bicyclist victims killed or injured in separate incidents during that year. The 2021 data shows similar trends, with 796 total victims of fatal and injury collisions, a figure that ranked 1 out of 60 cities that year. Alcohol-involved collisions were particularly prevalent, with 94 victims and a ranking of 1/60 for cities of comparable size. Overall, Los Angeles County, where Downey is located, consistently reports one of the highest county-wide accident rates in the state.
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