20-Year-Old Killed By Wrong-Way Driver

A 20-year-old man was killed Friday morning in a three-vehicle collision caused by a wrong-way driver on the Santa Monica (10) Freeway in Santa Monica, authorities said.

The crash was reported about 1:15 a.m. on the westbound side of the freeway at Centinela Avenue, said California Highway Patrol Officer Patrick Kimball.

Philip Ruiz Jr. of Los Angeles, died at the scene, according to the CHP. Friday was his birthday, reported KCAL9.

The car in which he was a passenger, a 1997 Ford Taurus, was struck head-on by a 2005 Pontiac GTO being driven east in westbound lanes by Jaime Herrera, 23, of Hawthorne, according to the CHP.

The Pontiac went over a freeway embankment and the Taurus, driven by 18-year-old Edgar Quiroz of Los Angeles, was disabled by the crash, trapping Ruiz in the rear passenger compartment, the CHP reported.
   As Quiroz and the remaining passengers of the Taurus attempted to free Ruiz, the car was struck by a third vehicle, a 2012 Hyundai Sonata driven by Kenneth Weimer of Anaheim, according to the CHP.

Ruiz was then ejected from the Taurus, sustaining fatal injuries, and Quiroz suffered a fractured left arm, the CHP reported.

Herrera suffered a fractured spine and was taken to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center for treatment. He was later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, but remains hospitalized, according to the CHP.

Weimer was arrested for DUI and booked at Santa Monica Police Department headquarters, officials said.

All lanes of the westbound side of the freeway were closed in the vicinity of the collision and traffic was diverted at Bundy Drive, Kimball said. The lanes were reopened shortly after 7 a.m., the CHP reported.

The crash left the freeway strewn with debris from the wrecked vehicles and Ruiz's covered body was visible on the pavement.

-City News Service