Suspected drunk driver kills 7-year-old girl in Seal Beach crash

A 7-year-old girl was killed and her sister and father were injured Monday in a multi-vehicle crash in Seal Beach that authorities say was caused by a suspected drunk driver.

Authorities received multiple calls reporting the crash on the northbound 405 Freeway near Seal Beach Boulevard about 9:30 a.m., said California Highway Patrol Officer Denise Quesada. Paramedics transported three members of a Bay Area family to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center.

The 7-year-old was pronounced dead, her 13-year-old sister was in critical condition and their father was hospitalized with moderate to major injuries. None of their names has been released.

The father, 49, was driving a 2015 Tesla Model S sedan in the carpool lane with his two daughters in the back seat, according to Tom Joy, public information officer for the CHP.

The driver of a 2013 Chevy Tahoe, Adam Kanas, 36, of San Clemente, crossed the double yellow lines into the carpool lane and rear-ended the Tesla, pinning it against a 2012 Honda Civic that was driving ahead in the same lane, Joy said.

“The rear end of the Tesla was pushed all the way in,” he said.

Capt. Steve Concialdi of the Orange County Fire Authority said the Tesla was so damaged that firefighters had to extract the injured girls through the front door on the driver’s side.

“Any time a child dies in a crash, our hearts break for the family,” Concialdi said. “This was a very tragic accident.”

The people in the Civic, a 28-year-old man from San Diego and two passengers, were not injured, but the car sustained heavy damage.

Before the crash, the CHP received calls reporting that Kanas was driving erratically.

“We had a unit trying to catch up to him,” Joy said. “But he crashed moments before they were able to get there.”

At the scene, Kanas exhibited signs of inebriation and was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, authorities said. He was booked into Orange County Jail.

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