Two passengers were killed when a drunk driver’s car plunged off the freeway in Alhambra. (CHP Photo)

Two people were killed and two others seriously injured early Tuesday morning when a drunk driver‘s car plunged off of a freeway overpass in Alhambra. All of them were in their very early 20s.

•    A 22-year-old drunk driver was unable to navigate a turn on a freeway overpass and crashed through a guard wall.

•    The vehicle plunged 60 feet.

•    Two passengers were killed. Another suffered serious injuries. 

•    The driver, who broke her arm and her back in the  accident, has been charged with felony DUI and could also face manslaughter or murder charges, police said.

The deadly freeway crash occurred at about 1:05 a.m., according to a report in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

California Highway Patrol officer Doris Peniche said that 22-year-old Christine Meng of San Gabriel was driving a black Toyota RAV4 in the HOV lane from westbound Interstate 10 to southbound Interstate 710 when the accident happened.

Meng failed to navigate a turn on the ramp and her vehicle crashed through the 3-foot-high guard wall, plunging at least 60 feet from the overpass down to the transition road between the two freeways, Peniche said.

Two of Meng’s passengers — 21-year-old Joseph Almario and 23-year-old Manolo Magat, both San Gabriel residents — were killed.

Almario was sitting in the right front seat and was partially ejected from the vehicle, Peniche said. Magat was sitting in the right rear passenger seat and was thrown to the rear of the vehicle.

Another passenger, 22-year-old Jason Lieu, also of San Gabriel, suffered multiple head injuries, including an abrasion to his forehead and laceration to the back of his head. He was transported by ground ambulance to Los Angeles County-SC Medical Center to be treated.

Meng sustained a broken arm and three broken vertebrae in her back. She, too, was taken to USC Medical Center, where she was treated for her injuries and tested for blood alcohol content.

“Right now she is under arrest and she is being charged with felony DUI,” Peniche said. “There’s a possibility she may be charged with vehicular manslaughter, maybe even murder.”

Alhambra Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented drunk driving accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.