A 39-year-old Van Nuys man was killed early Friday when he was ejected from an SUV in a possibly alcohol-related rollover crash on the southbound San Diego (405) Freeway in Van Nuys, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The driver, identified as Arutyun Darakchyan, was declared dead at the scene of the single-vehicle crash, which was reported about 3:20 a.m. south of Roscoe Boulevard, the CHP reported.
A 41-year-old Sherman Oaks woman who was trapped in the wreckage was freed and taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center for treatment of what were described as minor injuries, according to the CHP.
The cream-colored 2018 Cadillac SUV was in the No. 1 lane of the Roscoe Boulevard on-ramp and traveled to the left and up the east concrete curb before veering right and down a dirt embankment, then overturning, the CHP reported.
“The driver was ejected and succumbed to his injuries,” according to a CHP statement. “No evidence of seatbelt usage was observed and alcohol impairment is being investigated.”
It was initially thought the SUV had possibly rolled over a homeless person encamped along the freeway.
The No. 5 lane of the southbound 405 and the Roscoe Boulevard on-ramp to the southbound side of the freeway were closed to traffic for about three hours for the crash investigation, according to the CHP.