Passenger Dies as Car Hits Tree

VAN NUYS — In a single-car accident Sunday morning, a 29-year-old passenger was killed and the driver critically injured when their car struck a tree, authorities said.

The crash occurred at 8:30 a.m. at the intersection of Oxnard Street and Sepulveda Boulevard, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Bob Collis.

Miguel Huerta of Long Beach was pronounced dead at the scene, Collis said. The driver, Edwin Giraldo, 20, of North Hollywood, was taken to Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills.

Police suspect that Giraldo was intoxicated at the time of the accident, said Sgt. Glen Wiggins of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Valley Traffic Division.