A 42-year-old male passenger was killed, and the driver sustained non-life-threatening injuries when the vehicle they were in crashed into a tree and cinder block wall in Santa Ana, police announced Friday.
Officers responded near Segerstrom Avenue and Bear Street at approximately 10:40 p.m. Thursday to reports of a crash, according to the Santa Ana Police Department.
The officers located the vehicle pinned against a cinder block wall with two occupants.
Orange County Fire Authority personnel arrived at the location to assist law enforcement in a rescue operation, where they took the passenger and driver to a hospital for evaluation and treatment.
The passenger, a Fountain Valley resident, died from his injuries at the hospital. His name was being withheld pending notification of relatives.
Police said the driver was cooperative during the investigation at the hospital. Impairment does not appear to be a factor in the crash, police said, adding that the vehicle was perhaps speeding westbound on Segerstrom Avenue from Bear Street moments before veering off the roadway and striking the tree before hitting the wall.
The fatal collision is being investigated by the Santa Ana Police Department’s Collision Unit.
Anyone with additional information on the crash was urged to contact Detective Kelvin Catlin at 714-245-8224 or the Santa Ana Police Department Traffic Division at 714-245-8200.