STUDIO CITY—A female driver was killed and her passenger was injured in a single vehicle crash in Studio City on Sunday, December 18, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
According to the Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Office, the 22-year-old female victim of Canoga Park has been identified as Samantha Martinez. She was confirmed dead on the scene due to blunt trauma, the report indicated.
The accident occurred around 12:40 a.m. when the victim, driving a 2003 Acura TL, went westbound on Ventura Boulevard near Lankershim Boulevard. When the driver attempted to drive onto the southbound 101 Freeway on-ramp, she lost control of the vehicle, hit a wooden power pole, went onto the curb then crashed into a metal pole on the driver’s side.
The 28-year-old passenger was taken to Cedar Sinai hospital to be treated with minor injuries. The preliminary cause of the accident appears to be unsafe speed and unsafe turning movement, according to the LAPD.
A 911 caller indicated that one of the passengers was trapped inside the car; it is not known if firefighters had to free anyone from the vehicle, Erik Scott, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department told the Los Angeles Daily News.
James Norton, Officer for the LAPD Traffic Division informed the Daily News that officials will be conducting an investigation into the accident.
