Anaheim : Man Killed, 4 Injured in Freeway Collision

An Anaheim man was killed and four people were injured in a three-car collision late Sunday afternoon on the Riverside Freeway, officials said Monday.

A Chino teen-ager, who was not injured, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, the California Highway Patrol said.

CHP spokesman Paul Caldwell said Kenneth Droesbeke, 46, of Anaheim, died of injuries suffered when his Mercedes-Benz rolled over after it was hit on the eastbound lanes of the freeway near Imperial Highway. The accident occurred at about 5:40 p.m.

Jay Able Martinez, 19, of Chino, was booked into the Orange County Jail, where he was being held Monday in lieu of $25,000 bail, Caldwell said.

According to CHP investigators, Martinez was westbound on the Riverside Freeway when he tried to change lanes and hit another car driven by Phyllis Orenstein, 42, of Lake Elsinore. The impact sent both vehicles through the freeway center divider. Martinez’s Datsun struck Droesbeke’s car, which ran off the right shoulder and rolled over, the CHP spokesman said.

Three passengers were thrown from the Mercedes. Virgene Droesbeke, 55, was listed Monday in critical condition at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana. Lavone Droesbeke, 51, was listed in good condition at UCI Medical Center in Orange. Robert Droesbeke, 52, was listed in fair condition at the same hospital.

Orenstein was listed in stable condition Monday at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Anaheim.