Buena Park car-crash victims identified

Coroner's officials have identified the three passengers who died in a fiery crash Monday night on the 5 Freeway in Buena Park as Elda Nava-Mayo, 24, Angela Prado, 49, and Sara Flores, 40, all from Downey.

The three were part of a group of five relatives returning home after a church service at the Crystal Cathedral when their SUV rolled over and caught fire exiting the freeway, authorities said.

The driver and a 16-year-old female passenger were hospitalized with injuries sustained in the accident.

The family was traveling northbound on the 5 Freeway in a Ford Excursion about 10:17 p.m. when the driver lost control exiting on the Beach Boulevard offramp. The Excursion rolled across a median and another ramp before coming to rest in an empty lot, California Highway Patrol Officer Gabe Montoya said.

Four passengers were thrown from the SUV before it caught fire. The driver, a 41-year-old woman, was rescued from the burning vehicle by a bystander, Montoya said.

Nava-Mayo, Prado and Flores were pronounced dead at the scene. The 16-year-old girl and the driver were taken to UCI Medical Center. Their identities have not been released.

The CHP is investigating whether speed and the sharp turn angle of the offramp played a role in the crash. No other vehicles were involved and alcohol is not believed to be a factor.

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-- Tony Barboza

Image: A map of where three passengers died in a car crash in Buena Park. Source: Google Maps