Van Nuys man killed in Saturday morning crash

A Van Nuys man was killed early Saturday morning in a solo-vehicle high-speed crash in which the car plunged down a dirt embankment in the Newhall Pass, flipping over several times.

Tommy Brandon Cruz, 22, was identified by officials with the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner as the person killed in a traffic collision in the southbound lanes of the truck route on Interstate 5, north of Highway 14.

Cruz, identified as a front-seat passenger in the car, died of a head injury, said coroner spokesman Anthony Lopez. Cruz was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver was taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital with moderate

injuries. He was later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.

The collision happened shortly before 12:52 a.m. when a maroon Toyota Camry, speeding in the southbound lanes of the I-5 truck route, crashed, prompting an hours-long SigAlert, according to California Highway Patrol officers.

All southbound lanes of I-5 were shut down, just north of the Highway 14 junction, while CHP investigators scoured the scene.

Preliminary reports state the driver was driving in excess of 100 moh and passed vehicles along the center divider before losing control.

The car rolled down an embankment before coming to a rest on its wheels in the truck lane.

“We arrived at 1:12 (a.m.),” said CHP Officer Tony Polizzi, “and issued the SigAlert at 1:20 (a.m.) for the truck route.”

Los Angeles County and L.A. city fire officials responded to the crash.

When firefighters arrived at the scene they worked to free the driver found trapped in the wreckage, according to Michael Pittman, supervising fire dispatcher for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

First responders initially feared both occupants of the car had died, he said.

Once extricated, the injured driver was treated for moderate head injuries at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, according to a press release issued by CHP officials Saturday.

The SigAlert remained in effect until 5:23 a.m. while officers finished their investigation and worked to clear the scene, according to CHP officials.

The investigation is still pending and anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to call the CHP Newhall-area Office at 661-294-5540.