Father Arrested After Crash Kills Wife, Injures 3 Children

Los Angeles -- A 31-year-old California man was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after a car he was driving crashed on a freeway in Los Angeles Thursday, leaving his wife dead and their three children injured.

David Cohen, of Northridge, was arrested and booked on suspicion of DUI after being treated for moderate injuries, NBC Los Angeles reported, citing California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officer Weston Haver of the West Valley Area office.

He also faces possible manslaughter charges in the deadly crash, Fox 11 Los Angeles reported.

His wife Zeomara Cohen, 31, also of Northridge, died at the scene, Haver said.

The couple’s three daughters, identified as 9-year-old Cienna Marquez, 4-year-old Chanel Cohen and 4-month-old Chloe Cohen, were treated for moderate injuries at a hospital before being released to the custody of family members, according to the CHP officer.

The family was returning home from a graduation party Thursday evening when the crash happened.

At around 11:40 p.m., David, who was driving their Lexus sedan, lost control and crashed into an embankment on the westbound lanes of the 118 Freeway in Porter Ranch, Los Angeles, Fox 11 reported, citing police investigators.

The crash severed the car's fuel line, which caused the vehicle to erupt in flames while the family was still inside, authorities said.

Four off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officers who witnessed the crash called for further assistance and helped rescue the three children and their father, according to Fox 11. They were unable to save the mother, who died at the scene.

During the rescue, three other vehicles passing the scene were involved in a collision. Eight people were involved in the collision, and two were left with serious injuries, the report said.

No other details regarding the incident has been released as of writing.

In related news, a 38-year-old convicted DUI driver was arrested in Rialto, California, this week after he allegedly killed a 40-year-old mom of three in a drunk driving accident Wednesday, Mercury News reported. The incident also left the husband of the Colton, California, woman injured and hospitalized.

Rialto police officers responded to a two-vehicle crash in the 300 block of North Riverside Avenue around 9:15 p.m. Wednesday, the Rialto Police Department said in a news release.

A black Mercedes C63 driven by Richard Madrid, of Fontana, was found to have collided with a Chevrolet HHR driven by a Colton man and his wife, Priscilla Hernandez, police said.

Hernandez and her husband were taken to a hospital, where she later died of her injuries. The husband also suffered significant injuries but is in stable condition, according to authorities.

Preliminary evidence indicated Madrid, who had four previous DUI-related convictions, was drunk when the crash happened, according to investigators.

Madrid was taken to a hospital with minor injuries and then was booked on suspicion of murder, police said. His bail was set at $2.5 million.