Judith Blankenfeld, a 77-year-old Hawaii resident, was killed in a car accident when she was ejected from a Tesla involved in a collision on the 405 Freeway in Long Beach and then struck by a third car on Monday, April 17.
Blankenfeld of Hilo was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
The 78-year-old man who was driving the 2018 Tesla and a second passenger, a 73-year-old woman, both from San Clemente, sustained minor injuries and refused treatment. They were both wearing seatbelts, but Blankenfeld was not, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The preliminary investigation revealed the Tesla collided with a raised concrete curb at the end of the Lakewood Boulevard on-ramp. The Tesla then traveled onto the right shoulder, where it struck a stopped, unoccupied 2011 Chevrolet, the CHP reported.
The collision with the Chevrolet tore the right rear passenger door off the Tesla, causing Blankenfeld to be ejected onto the number five southbound lane, where she was struck by a 2008 BMW driven by a 54-year-old Long Beach woman, according to the CHP.
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