LOCAL : 3 Die in Ortega Highway Crash
Traffic investigators were still unsure today why a suspected drunk driver lost control of his pickup truck on rustic Ortega Highway last night, killing three San Juan Capistrano friends and injuring two others.
The driver, Jose Juan Perez, 22, of San Juan Capistrano, was the only one of six men who escaped injury, California Highway Patrol Officer Ken Daily said.
Perez, a carpet cleaner, was jailed on $25,000 bail after he was booked for felony drunk driving and gross vehicular manslaughter.
Daily said Perez was driving toward San Juan Capistrano about three miles east of Interstate 5 when the truck went out of control, flipped over several times and skidded to a stop about 175 yards from the road, Daily said.
All five passengers in the mangled truck, which had no cab roof, were ejected, Daily said. Perez was wearing a seat belt.
Two unidentified men were pronounced dead at the scene. Forrest C. Harper, 20, Miguel Angel Rodriguez Perez, 26, and Rafael Granados Gomes, 22, were taken to Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center to treat injuries.
Harper later died of massive head injuries, Daily said.
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