Car Goes Airborne, Kills Woman in 2nd Auto; Man Held

A Los Angeles man was arrested on suspicion of murder early Sunday after his speeding, airborne station wagon struck and crushed an oncoming car, killing a Whittier woman and injuring her young grandson.

Police said Marco Sanchez, 22, whose blood alcohol level was just above the legal limit of .10%, was driving at 80 m.p.h. on the wrong side of State Street, east of downtown Los Angeles, when he went through a stop sign at about 3 a.m., hit a dip, and flew off the road at 4th Street striking the other car’s top half.

The driver of the crushed vehicle, Lucina Cornejo, 42, of Whittier died of massive head injuries at County-USC Medical Center. Her 2-year-old grandson, Gilbert Solis, was treated for minor injuries. Police said Sanchez suffered “a couple of scratches.”