10:55am | A 24-year old intoxicated driver was involved in one – and perhaps two – hit and run accidents on Tuesday afternoon before crashing into the back of a semi-truck. A passenger in the intoxicated driver’s car was ejected, and died at the scene.
Police say that around 3:00pm on Tuesday, Blanca Sanchez sped a Ford Expedition into a rear-end collision with a semi-truck on Ocean Boulevard just east of the Terminal Island freeway. The Expedition flipped several times and Sanchez’s passenger, 42-year old Pasqual Marian of Paramount, was ejected and found underneath the vehicle. An off-duty Long Beach Police Department officer witnessed the incident and responded to Marian, until Fire Department paramedics arrived and pronounced the victim deceased.
Sanchez suffered major head trauma and was taken to a local hospital, where she is listed in critical condition. She is expected to remain hospitalized for several days, and when discharged she will be booked for felony DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter.
Any witnesses or victims of the accidents are encouraged to call the Accident Investigation Detail at 562.570.7355.