Crash on the 405 Freeway kills driver, injures 3 others

An Inglewood man died early Saturday after the Lexus he was driving on the 405 Freeway crashed into another vehicle and tumbled down an embankment, throwing him from the car, authorities said.

The crash near the Inglewood Avenue exit also injured at least three passengers in the Lexus, all in their mid-20s, the California Highway Patrol said.

The driver was identified by Los Angeles County coroner’s officials as Erick Reyes, 28. His age had previously been reported as 26.

Reyes’ Lexus was traveling southbound on the 405 at an excessive speed shortly after 2 a.m. when it struck a 2006 Mazda in the fast lane south of the Centinela Avenue exit, the CHP said.

The collision sent both vehicles spinning before the Lexus veered across the southbound lanes, down a dirt embankment and overturned. Reyes, who was not wearing a seat belt, according to the CHP, was “fully ejected from the Lexus and sustained fatal injuries as a result of the collision.”

The driver and a passenger in the Mazda reported that they were not injured, the CHP said.

A transition road, an onramp and freeway lanes were closed for several hours Saturday morning as authorities investigated the scene.

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“The cause of this collision is under investigation, however speed is believed to be a factor,” the CHP said.

All three passengers in the Lexus were transported to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries, the CHP said. Shortly after the crash, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman reported that they were in fair condition.

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