Local News in Brief : Countywide : Two Women Killed in Separate Accidents

Two women not wearing a seat belt died in separate freeway accidents early Monday, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The first fatality occurred about 2:30 a.m., when Jessica P. Connor, 17, of Spring Valley was traveling southbound on the Santa Ana Freeway, north of the Newport Avenue exit near Tustin.

As Connor approached the off-ramp in a 1980 Ford Mustang, her car “for an unknown reason went off the road,” CHP Officer Keith Thornhill said.

The car overturned several times, until it landed on Mitchell Avenue, south of the freeway. Connor, who was ejected from the car, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Fernando Barajas, 18, of National City was sleeping in the back of Connor’s car when it went off the road. He was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries, Thornhill said.

The second accident occurred half an hour later, when Louis J. Palleschi, 58, of Orange, was hit from behind in the middle lane of the Costa Mesa Freeway, just north of Katella Avenue off-ramp in Orange.

Thornhill said Palleschi was heading northbound in his 1986 Toyota Camry when he saw a Nissan 280ZX approaching from the rear, driven by a 23-year-old woman from Costa Mesa. “(The Nissan) swerved to the right to avoid (Palleschi),” Thornhill said. “The left front of her (car) hit the right rear of his Camry. After the impact, (his car) went out of control and went over the east edge of the embankment, rolled several times and came to rest on its roof.”

While the car was rolling, the woman was ejected from the car, Thornhill said. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Her name was not released pending notification of relatives.

Palleschi was treated for minor injuries to his neck and chest, Thornhill said.