1 Dead, 2 Hurt After Auto Hits Barricade

A Panorama City man driving with a suspended license died and his two passengers were injured Sunday when his car slammed into a concrete barricade on a Chatsworth street, Los Angeles Police said.

The 22-year-old man, whose name was not released pending notification of relatives, was driving north on Mason Avenue near Corisco Street about 5:25 a.m. when he hit the barricade, which runs along the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks, Sgt. Mel Cunningham said.

The driver died before paramedics arrived, but his two passengers--Alberto Ortega, 20, and Armando Torres, 23, both of Panorama City--were hospitalized with head and back injuries. Torres was in fair condition at County-USC Medical Center, but Ortega’s condition was not known.

Cunningham said the man was driving between 55 and 60 m.p.h.--20 to 25 m.p.h. above the speed limit. An autopsy will be conducted later this week to determine if alcohol played a role in the crash. The man’s license was suspended last year for driving with an excessive blood-alcohol level, Cunningham said.