Originally published on February 10, 2014
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Eleven people were killed early Sunday (February 9) in two separate highway collisions in Florida and California. Five people died in the Florida collision and six were killed in California.
At just after 2:00 a.m. in Florida, a Ford Expedition SUV was reportedly traveling south on northbound Interstate 275 in Tampa when it collided head-on with a Hyundai Sonata. The collision killed the driver of the SUV and all four people in the Hyundai, according to a Florida Highway Patrol news release.
The SUV became engulfed in flames, the patrol report said. The other vehicle was also damaged by fire.
The driver of the Hyundai has been identified as Jobin Joy Kuriakose, 21, of Orlando. His passengers were Ankeet Harshad Patel, 22, and Dammie Yesudhas, 21, of Melbourne, Fla.; and Imtiyaz Ilias, 20, of Fort Myers. They were all members of the Sigma Beta Rho fraternity at the University of South Florida in Tampa, the patrol said.
The identity of SUV driver has not been confirmed due to extensive damage to the vehicle. Investigators are trying to determine whether drugs or alcohol contributed to the incident, which closed the highway for nearly five hours.
The same day in California, six people were killed in a crash that took place at around 4:40 a.m. when a motorist traveled the wrong way on the 60 Freeway near Diamond Bar. California Highway Patrol logs show a vehicle was reportedly traveling at 100 miles per hour.
According to state highway patrol officer Jennifer Cassidy, three vehicles were involved in the crash. A Chevrolet Camaro was headed eastbound in the westbound lanes before it struck a red Ford Explorer and then a Ford Freestyle, according to the website of KABC.com, an ABC television affiliate in Los Angeles.
Investigators told the television station that evidence of alcohol consumption was found at the scene. A 21-year-old female driver has been held on suspicion of felony driving under the influence and felony manslaughter.
Four people were pronounced dead at the scene, and two people died at an area hospital, authorities said. The freeway lanes in both directions were closed for hours Sunday.
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