Three of the five teens killed in a weekend car crash in Irvine died from multiple blunt force trauma as a result of the collision, the Orange County coroner’s office announced Wednesday.
The causes of death of the other two teens, Brandon Alejandro Moreno of Mission Viejo and Alejandro Sotelo of San Juan Capistrano, both 14, have not been determined.
Autopsies performed on Jennifer Bahena, 14, of Laguna Hills, and Jennifer Campos of Aliso Viejo, and Matthew Ivan Melo, of Mission Viejo, both 15, determined they died from multiple blunt force trauma, according to Orange County sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Hallock.
The 16-year-old driver — identified in news reports as Bradley Morales – – remained in serious condition today at CHOC Children’s at Mission Hospital.
The registered owner of the car is a relative of the 16-year-old driver, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Florentino Olivera.
The crash occurred on the southbound side of the Santa Ana (5) Freeway south of the Route 133 toll road about 2:12 a.m. Saturday when the white 1995 BMW flew off the freeway and caught fire, according to the CHP.
The front end of the BMW apparently drifted off the roadway and struck a metal guardrail, according to the CHP.
“Due to the speed, the vehicle continued in a southerly direction up an overcrossing embankment and came to rest on the top of a concrete retaining wall,” according to the CHP. The car and its five passengers were engulfed in fire.
The driver reportedly told rescuers the group had been returning from a late-night trip to Knott’s Berry Farm.
— City News Service