http://www.geocities.com/scottenaztlan/IlliniPasadena.mp3

Sheriff's deputy smashes into tree on I-405 on-ramp
Deputy suffers cuts on face when cruiser hits tree in Seal Beach early
this morning.
By SALVADOR HERNANDEZ
The Orange County Register

SEAL BEACH – An Orange County sheriff's deputy lost control of his
cruiser early this morning on a freeway on-ramp and crashed his
cruiser into a tree, authorities said.

The solo car crash occurred on the Seal Beach Boulevard on-ramp to the
southbound I-405 at 2:22 a.m., said California Highway Patrol officer
Denise Quesada.

The deputy suffered cuts to his face and was treated at Western
Medical Center-Santa Ana, said Lt. Fred Furey of the Sheriff's
Department.

"We believe the unit was totaled," Furey said.

The cause of the accident is still unknown, Furey said. The car crash
involved no other vehicles and the deputy was not responding to a call
at the time of the accident.

"The case is under investigation to see if it was related to the
vehicle or the driving," Furey said.

The CHP is investigating the accident because it involved a freeway
on-ramp and a sheriff's patrol car, Furey said.

CHP received several calls about the accident, Quesada said, with
witnesses reporting that the vehicle was facing the wrong side of the
on-ramp. Other sheriff's deputies were the first to respond to the
scene of the crash.

The name of the officer driving the cruiser was not immediately
released.