Clues sought in crashes that killed 10 people

IRVINE — Investigators looked for clues Sunday to the cause of two fiery vehicle crashes in Southern California that killed 10 people, including four recent graduates of the same high school, as family members and friends mourned the victims.

In Orange County, a 16-year-old unlicensed driver who was the lone survivor in a single-car crash that killed five remained hospitalized after surgery. He was listed in serious but stable condition with a large skull fracture and internal bleeding, Mission Hospital said.

A California Highway Patrol Officer said investigators will inspect the 1995 BMW the teen was driving for signs of mechanical failure that might have contributed to the crash early Saturday.

Skid marks on the freeway and the distance the car traveled after hitting a guardrail on Interstate 5 in Irvine suggest speed possibly played a role, the officer said. No charges have been filed.

The victims included two 14-year-old boys and a 15-year-old boy, all from Orange County, who played for the same soccer team, the Los Angeles Times reported. Two girls who died, whose ages were not released, played on a school water polo team.

The car flew off the freeway, crashed and caught fire.

Five people were killed about five hours earlier on Friday night, when three vehicles collided and burst into flames on the edge of Chino (San Bernardino County).

The lone survivor of the three-vehicle crash was released from the hospital, police spokeswoman Monica Gutierrez said.

The dead included four in a truck: Andrew Anthony Deleon, 19, Nathan Dominguez, 18, and two other friends. The fifth victim was Luis Ayala Mendoza, 47, of Corona (Riverside County), the coroner said.