A woman was arrested on suspicion of DUI after a driver waiting at a red light was struck from behind and killed in a fiery crash at an Orange intersection.
A poster and flowers were left at the crash site Friday in memory of the victim, whose Chevrolet Cruze was stopped at Chapman Avenue at Yorba Street when the vehicle was struck from behind by a driver in a black Toyota Camry. A handwritten message on the poster read, "We love you Steve. You will forever be missed."
The victim's sedan was pushed through the intersection and caught fire, according to police. Nurses from a nearby hospital responded after seeing the fire, and a witness helped pull the suspect from her vehicle.
The fire prevented him from helping the victim.
"I tried to open the door, but it was too late," said the witness, who asked not to be identified. "It was just really sad. We couldn't do anything."
Another witness described a chaotic scene.
"It was pretty gruesome, the sounds, the smells of burning rubber," said witness Fred Vega. "Obviously, everybody is pretty stressed out, witnessing something like that."
The suspect, 32-year-old Stephanie Derosas, was arrested on suspicion of DUI and vehicular manslaughter, according to police. She remained hospitalized Friday afternoon, but details regarding her injuries were not available.
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Details regarding a court date were not immediately available.
Authorities said the vehicle was traveling at high speed, possibly around 70 mph. The posted speed limit in the area is 40 mph.
The driver of a third vehicle, which was sideswiped, was hospitalized with minor injuries.
The intersection is equipped with surveillance cameras, which might help authorities piece together the crash. All lanes of Chapman Avenue between the 55 Freeway and Malena Drive were closed for the crash investigation.
