BMW crashes into light pole and palm tree, killing four people
Four people were killed and one person was injured when their vehicle struck a light pole and a palm tree in San Clemente early Saturday, authorities said.
The impact of the 1:30 a.m. single-vehicle crash split the white BMW in half and ejected four people from the vehicle, said Lt. Steve Gil of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. A preliminary investigation indicate that speed and alcohol may have been factors in the crash, Gil said.
“This area is not known for having bad collisions,” Gil said. “It’s little traffic on the street at this time. It’s a safe part of the road.”
The identity of the victims -- three men and a woman -- were not immediately released. Emergency personnel took a second woman, found inside the vehicle, to Mission Hospital and she is expected to recover, Gil said.
Investigators closed off a quarter-mile of South El Camino Real, at the West Avenida Gaviota intersection, to collect evidence at the scene, Gil said.
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