Violent, high-speed crash into tree leaves O.C. driver hospitalized

An Orange County motorist was hospitalized in unknown condition after a violent, high-speed, single-vehicle crash into a tree Tuesday night. Surveillance footage from a nearby business captured the moment the June 30 incident occurred at around 10:25 p.m. near the intersection of Anaheim Boulevard and La Palma Avenue in Anaheim. The video shows a newer-model Ford Mustang barreling into frame moments before it slammed into a tree, seemingly at full speed. The impact mangled the front end and ripped the front driver’s-side tire from the axle as the car spun to a stop. Several witnesses, including another motorist, ran to the aid of the driver but were unable to open the driver’s door. One person was able to open the passenger-side door, though it remains unclear whether anyone else was in the vehicle. Police responded to the scene and cordoned off the area with yellow tape after witnesses said paramedics rushed the unconscious driver to a hospital. An update on the driver’s condition was not immediately available. Neighbors in the area told a photojournalist with O.C. Hawk, a video news service, that the intersection has long been hazardous and that this was not even the first crash this year. “There’s probably been 10 already this year in the same spot,” a woman identified only as Katie said. “It’s unfortunate.” Investigators with the Anaheim Police Department have not identified the driver, and it remains unclear whether alcohol or drugs were factors in the crash.