ANAHEIM : Driver in Accident Tried to Shift Places

The driver of a van that flipped over on a freeway Sunday was in the process of switching places with a passenger when the accident occurred, injuring all six of the van’s occupants, the California Highway Patrol said Monday.

Three-year-old Monica Leon and her 9-year-old brother, Raul, were ejected from the van after their father, Fernando Leon, lost control of the vehicle, CHP Officer Kevin Livingston said. Leon and his daughter were taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange, where they were in fair condition Monday, hospital officials said.

Raul and a 6-year-old sibling were airlifted to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. They suffered from internal injuries, neurological trauma, cuts and puncture wounds, authorities said.

A 2-year-old girl and her mother, Maria Sanchez, 30, were taken to Martin Luther Hospital in Anaheim with minor cuts, authorities said.

Livingston said Leon was heading north on the Santa Ana Freeway near Brookhurst Street at about 2:35 p.m. when he tried to switch places with Sanchez.

The van, which was traveling in the fast lane, swerved and hit the center divider and rolled over several times before landing in the middle of the freeway, Livingston said.