Victims Identified in Crash of Car, Disabled Gas Tanker

Authorities identified Wednesday the three people who were killed when a car slammed into the back of a stalled truck on the Golden State Freeway in Sun Valley. The cause of the crash, which also injured four others, remained unknown.

The California Highway Patrol said Edgar Sandoval, 32, Blanca Sandoval, 31, and Luis Montalvo, 28, all of Los Angeles, were killed at 9:45 p.m. Monday when the car Edgar Sandoval was driving crashed into the back of a gasoline tanker truck, which was stalled on the side of the northbound lanes of the freeway.

Three children and a fourth adult were injured. Manuel Sandoval, 6, and Edgar Renado, 4, were reported in stable condition at Childrens Hospital in Los Angeles. Alexis Sandoval, 9, was reported in stable condition at Pacifica Hospital of the Valley in Sun Valley. The condition of a 35-year-old man, whose name was not released, was unavailable.

Investigators believe that Edgar and Blanca Sandoval may have been married and that the injured youngsters could be their children, but no family members have been located to confirm their relationship, authorities said.

Officer Tami Low said the group had been at a restaurant earlier in the evening and that Edgar Sandoval had been drinking alcohol. However, an autopsy to determine whether he was drunk at the time of the accident had not been completed Wednesday.

Low said the driver had a pocketful of bullets and two pairs of handcuffs in the car but it was not known why. No weapons were in the car, and investigators had not determined Sandoval’s occupation, she said.