Four people were killed and another was injured in a head-on crash involving a big rig and a vehicle traveling on the wrong side of the road in Lancaster Friday, officials said.
Just after 9 a.m., a Peterbilt big rig, headed east, and a 2019 Dodge Challenger traveling west collided in the eastbound lane of Avenue G near north 30th Street, according to the California Highway Patrol.
There were five people, including two women and three young children, inside the Dodge.
The driver, a 62-year-old woman, died at the scene, CHP said.
The 59-year-old woman in the passenger seat was airlifted to Holy Cross Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead.
Two of the children, boys ages 6 and 9, were transported to Antelope Valley Hospital, where they died, officials said.
The third child, a 5-year-old boy, was airlifted to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where he was being treated for major traumatic injuries Friday afternoon.
Those traveling in the Challenger were all residents of Lancaster, CHP said. Their identities had not been released Friday evening, pending the notification of their next of kin.
The truck driver, 44-year-old Santos D. Torres of Corona, sustained minor injuries.
Authorities are still investigating why the Dodge was traveling on the wrong side of the road, including whether drugs or alcohol could have played a role.
CHP said Friday’s collision brings the total number deaths related to crashes to 28 this year alone in the agency’s Antelope Valley jurisdiction.
“You can help us prevent these senseless deaths by obeying all traffic signs and signals, obeying the speed limit, not driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and always wearing your seatbelt,” CHP said in a news release.