A 51-year-old Lebec woman was killed early Saturday morning when her car veered off southbound Interstate 5 near Lake Hughes Road in Castaic, climbed a dirt embankment and rolled over, ejecting her onto the freeway. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office has since identified the driver as Kelly Lewis, and investigators say neither alcohol nor drugs are suspected as factors in the crash.
The California Highway Patrol reported the crash happened around 6:23 a.m. on September 12, according to The Legal Examiner. CHP investigators said Lewis’s vehicle left the roadway, climbed the dirt embankment and rolled over, throwing her from the car. When CHP units arrived, they found the overturned vehicle resting on the right shoulder and located Lewis in the number one lane. Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel pronounced her dead at the scene.
The Medical Examiner’s Office identification and the update that drugs and alcohol weren’t suspected came via KHTS Radio, which reported that callers with information should provide it to Officer R. Bivins. Anyone with information about how or why the vehicle departed the freeway is asked to contact the Newhall office at (661) 600-1600. The exact cause of the roadway departure remains under investigation, according to the same report.
An Active Construction Zone Along the Same Stretch
The crash occurred in the middle of an active, multi-year Caltrans project. Overnight lane and ramp closures have been scheduled on southbound I-5 at Lake Hughes Road throughout mid-September as part of a $61.15 million pavement rehabilitation effort, per SoCal511. The project, being carried out by contractor Griffith Company, began in May 2024 and is expected to run through winter 2027, according to the same source…