Anaheim : Two Die, Two Injured in Wrongway Driver Crash

Two people were killed when one driver went the wrong way along the Riverside Freeway in Anaheim and crashed head-on into another car early Sunday, authorities said.

In addition, two people in a third car were injured when they swerved to avoid the collision and crashed into a tree, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The accident occurred about 3:30 a.m. in the westbound lanes, west of Lakeview Avenue, in clear weather, CHP dispatcher Joe David said.

Reva Liberty, 24, of Orange, was driving eastbound in the westbound lanes and collided head-on with a car driven by Mark Edward Brittan, 27, of Newport Beach, David said. Brittan was pronounced dead at the scene, a coroner’s official said. Liberty suffered major injuries and was taken to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, where she died at 6:42 a.m., the CHP said.

A third driver--identified as Ellis Davis, 24, of Riverside--was westbound on the freeway when he observed heavy smoke from the collision, the CHP said. Davis attempted to swerve to the right to avoid the smoke and then saw he was about to collide with one of the vehicles involved in the crash. Davis then swerved more severely and ran off the road, colliding with a “large diameter tree,” David said.

Davis and his passenger, Bruce Johnson, 25, of Riverside, sustained minor injuries and were treated at Kaiser Foundation Hospital, Anaheim.

An investigation into the accident is continuing, the CHP said Sunday.