Two dead, 6 injured when car hits tree in Campo

Two dead, 6 injured when car hits tree in Campo

EAST COUNTY – Two people died and six others were injured when a driver believed to be smuggling undocumented Mexicans lost control of his car and slammed into an oak tree in Campo Thursday, authorities said.


The driver, Louis Alonzo Moreno, 20, of Chula Vista, faces charges of manslaughter and smuggling, California Highway Patrol Officer Brian Pennings said.

Pennings said six men and one woman were in the car with Moreno. Two of the passengers were in the trunk.

The crash occurred about 6:10 p.m. as Moreno drove a Suzuki Esteem compact car west on state Route 94 “at an extremely high speed,” Pennings said. He said the car was not being pursued by law officers.

The driver lost control of the car on a curve about three miles west of Forrest Gate Road. The Esteem slid sideways into a large oak tree. A man in his 30s and a woman in her 20s, in the back seat, were killed. Moreno and three passengers were critically injured, while two other passengers suffered moderate injuries.

Three medical helicopters and an ambulance took the victims to various hospitals. The road remained closed for more than three hours.