Injured Driver Arrested in Fatal Crash
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SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — A 32-year-old Orange man was arrested after the car he was driving went out of control on the San Diego Freeway, rolled down an embankment and burst into flames, killing his passenger, the California Highway Patrol reported Monday.
CHP Officer Jay Rice said the accident occurred Sunday about 9:40 p.m. as Florentino Morales Romero and his passenger, Marcos V. Olivarez, 23, of Orange were northbound on the freeway near Junipero Serra Road.
Rice said the car swerved left and hit the center guardrail, then crossed the northbound lanes, struck a concrete bridge railing, careened down an embankment and smashed into a tree at the bottom, where it started burning.
Two witnesses ran down the embankment and pulled Romero to safety, Rice said. They returned to try to rescue Olivarez from the passenger seat, but he had already burned to death.
Romero was taken to Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo, where he was placed under arrest on suspicion of felony drunk driving and manslaughter, Rice said.
Romero underwent surgery Sunday night to repair a lacerated spleen and liver and was listed in stable condition Monday.
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