Man hit and killed by car after crash on I-5; another driver is suspected of DUI

A chain-reaction crash Thursday on the 5 Freeway in Irvine that officials believe started with a drunk driver ended with another driver dead after he was hit by a car after leaving his vehicle, according to the California Highway Patrol.

About 5 a.m., a Dodge Charger swerved across the freeway’s southbound lanes just before the transition road to the southbound 133 Toll Road, CHP Officer Florentino Olivera said.

CHP officials think the Charger hit a GMC Yukon SUV and ended up sideways, resting against a guardrail on the transition road and partially blocking the right lane, Olivera said. The Yukon stopped about 100 feet away, Olivera added.

The Yukon’s driver, identified Thursday afternoon as Juan Ticas, 39, of Santa Ana, got out of the SUV and walked to the Charger to speak with its driver, according to the CHP.

After the conversation, Ticas was walking back to the Yukon and talking on his cellphone when a Nissan swerved to avoid the Charger, Olivera said. The Nissan hit Ticas, knocking him down a 50-foot dirt embankment, the CHP said. Ticas died.

The Nissan also crashed into the Yukon, injuring the Nissan’s driver, CHP Officer Paul Fox said.

A Toyota Camry then clipped the Charger and hit a guardrail, according to the CHP. No one was injured in that crash, Fox said.

Authorities arrested the Charger’s driver, 25-year-old Joshua Garmon, on suspicion of driving under the influence, Olivera said. Garmon was unhurt, according to authorities.

The CHP did not immediately provide Garmon’s city of residence.