UPDATED 12:29 P.M. Tuesday
By Leon Worden / SCVNews.com
A 35-year-old Frazier Park man was pronounced dead at the scene of a single-vehicle collision Saturday night on Interstate 5 near Gorman.
The victim was identified as Rocky Garland Lapham, 35, a resident of Frazier Park, by Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office.
“Alcohol was a contributing factor in this collision,” according to a statement from Officer J. Burdick of the California Highway Patrol office in Fort Tejon.
Passenger Juan Manual Robles, 27, of Lancaster, sustained moderate injuries and was transported to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Valencia.
Robles was wearing a seat belt. The driver wasn’t.
The crash was reported at 9:39 p.m. when a red 1988 Ford Bronco ran off of northbound I-5 south of Frazier Mountain Park Road.
A witness reported to the CHP that just before the crash, the operator of the Bronco was driving extremely recklessly and was presumed intoxicated. After the crash, an occupant of the vehicle, presumably Robles, was seen outside of the vehicle yelling for help.
Burdick’s statement said the Bronco was traveling northbound at about 80 mph in the fast lane when the driver lost control, crashed into the center median and bounced off, careening back across all lanes and rolling down an embankment.