Brandy Involved in Fatal Traffic Crash
Thursday, January 25, 2007 7:13 AM EST
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — R&B singer Brandy was involved in a four-car freeway crash last month that left a 38-year-old woman dead, authorities said Wednesday.
The cause of the mishap was under investigation, and no arrests have been made.
The 27-year-old actress-singer (full name: Brandy Norwood) was driving a 2007 Land Rover on the 405 Freeway on Dec. 30, when the collision occurred.
She failed to slow down and struck the back of a 2005 Honda at about 65 mph, according to a California Highway Patrol report.
The Honda driven by Awatef Aboudihaj, 38, hit another vehicle and then slid sideways before it struck a center divider, the report said.
Aboudihaj's car was then hit by an oncoming car driven by 50-year-old Mallory Ham, the report said.
Aboudihaj was taken to a hospital, where she died of blunt-force injuries, said county coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey. The coroner's office ruled her death an accident.
Ham also was taken to a hospital where she was treated for moderate injuries.
Brandy was not injured, and she wasn't under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash, said her publicist Courtney Barnes.
"She wishes to publicly express her condolences to the family of the deceased," Barnes said.
A message left for a CHP spokesman was not immediately returned Wednesday.
Norwood, whose hits include "Sittin' Up in My Room" and "The Boy Is Mine," has made five albums and earned a Grammy in 1999. She began her recording career at 14 and acted in film and TV shows, starring on the sitcom "Moesha" from 1996 to 2001 and most recently as a judge for NBC's "America's Got Talent."
