Crime & Safety
Tentative ID of Female Corvette Driver Killed in Fiery Pursuit Crash in Highland
'At the State Route 330 interchange in Highland, the Corvette struck an interchange pillar and exploded upon impact,' the coroner reported.
San Bernardino County coroner's investigators have a tentative identification of a female driver who died in a fiery pursuit crash of a Corvette early Wednesday Sept. 12 at the 210 Freeway interchange with SR 330 in Highland.
"We have a reasonable suspicion of the identity of the driver and sole occupant," Deputy Coroner Investigator David Van Norman said Friday in a phone interview.
"The autopsy has been completed," Van Norman said. "The sex of the deceased has been verified as female."
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As of Friday, identifying the female was a challenge due to the condition of her remains.
Records have been obtained to aid in the investigation, Van Norman said.
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"Examinations to confirm the identity are under way," Van Norman said.
According to California Highway Patrol and coroner's statements earlier this week, at 4:07 a.m. Wednesday a CHP officer in Arcadia tried to stop a blue 2001 Chevrolet Corvette that went through a posted Caltrans closure on the 210 Freeway.
The Corvette driver kept going at high speed and a pursuit began at Baldwin Avenue, according to the CHP.
"The vehicle continued eastbound on the State Route 210 from Baldwin Ave. at a high rate of speed," a coroner's statement said. "At the State Route 330 interchange in Highland, the Corvette struck an interchange pillar and exploded upon impact."
The Corvette became fully engulfed in flames, the CHP reported. The driver, who was the only occupant of the vehicle, was pronounced dead at 4:29 a.m., according to the coroner.
The California Highway Patrol Inland Division and the coroner were investigating.
The fiery crash occurred less than two hours before a Nissan 350Z fatally struck an who was walking on Greenspot Road, east of the 210 Freeway in Highland.
Amber Ann Muschwitz graduated in June from Citrus Valley High in Redlands. A bank account has been set up for donations to help .
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