A woman was killed and her two young children were injured early Sunday morning in a Laguna Beach crash that left a second driver in “extremely critical” condition, authorities said.
The two-vehicle collision took place shortly after midnight on El Toro Road, near Laguna Canyon Road (map).
The driver of one vehicle, a 31-year-old woman, died after the incident, said Capt. Jason Kravitz of the Laguna Beach Police Department. It was unclear if she was first transported to a hospital or was pronounced dead at the scene.
The woman was later identified by the coroner’s office as Sandra Maldonado of Mission Viejo.
Maldonado’s two children, a 5-year-old boy and 8-year-old girl, were initially said to have been transported to a hospital in critical condition. Police later said they were found not to be critical and were released from the hospital.
All three were extracted from the car by firefighters using the Jaws of Life.
The other driver, described as an elderly man from Laguna Woods, was in an SUV with his wife at the time of the collision, police said. He was hospitalized in “extremely critical” condition. She was not injured.
It was unclear what caused the crash. No arrests or citations have been announced.
KTLA’s Ashley Soley-Cerro contributed to this report.