Woman, 2 Men Die in Crashes During Holiday Weekend

MISSION VIEJO â€”  A 23-year-old woman was killed early Saturday when the car in which she was riding was hit from behind by a suspected drunk driver at a stoplight, Orange County sheriff’s officials said.

Noelia Victoria Gutierrez of Westminster was in the back seat of a 1997 Volkswagen Jetta when the 1:15 a.m. accident occurred at Los Alisos and Muirlands boulevards. She died at the scene.

Erich Thallmayer, 55, was arrested on suspicion of felony manslaughter. He was driving a 1987 Chevrolet Blazer that slammed into a car that was driven by 28-year-old Arthur Thompson and carried three passengers, including Gutierrez.

Thompson, a resident of Mission Viejo, was also suspected of driving drunk and was arrested, Lt. Lynn Nehring said.

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With the Labor Day weekend underway, Nehring said, an accident involving two suspected drunk drivers should serve as a warning for everyone.

“We want to emphasize the dangers of drinking and driving.� Nehring said. “This is an example of what can happen.�

Thallmayer, Thompson and two other passengers in the Jetta were injured in the accident. All were taken to Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center for treatment.

The Mission Viejo accident took place fewer than four hours after two young men were killed in an accident in Brea.

The Orange County coroner’s office on Saturday identified the victims as Duy Quoc Nguyen, 19, and Reth David Phao, 20. Both victims were from Pomona.

The 1981 Toyota they were traveling in was southbound on Brea Boulevard north of Tonner Canyon Road at a high speed at 9:45 p.m. Friday when the driver lost control, police said. The car skidded across the two-lane road and struck a telephone pole on the shoulder, California Highway Patrol officials said.

The car was wrapped around the telephone pole and was demolished, police said. The roof had to be removed for rescuers to reach the victims, who included a third man who was a passenger in the car and received major injuries. The injured man’s name was not released by the CHP.

No further details were available, and CHP officials would not say who was driving the car. They ask that any witnesses to the accident or anyone who had contact with Quoc or Phao prior to the crash call CHP officer Keith Thornhill at (714) 567-6000.