The driver of the car that collided head-on with a Cadillac SUV in Malibu on Thursday, leaving one person dead and two injured, has been identified as a “wellness advocate” and social media influencer.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department alleged that Summer Wheaton was behind the wheel of a 2019 Mercedes Benz that crossed the center median and crashed into a 2020 Cadillac that was heading west on Pacific Coast Highway.
The driver of the Cadillac died at the scene. Wheaton and a passenger in the Cadillac were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of their injuries.
Wheaton, a former licensed real estate agent, recently promoted herself as a “founder, speaker and wellness advocate” who supports healthy eating and lifestyle choices.
On Instagram, she has more than 100,000 followers, but after she was identified as the driver in the fatal crash, Wheaton's Instagram account was made private.
On her personal website, Wheaton is listed as CEO and founder of “two innovative startups,” including a company that markets healthy snack vending machines.
The site, where Wheaton promotes her businesses and herself for speaking engagements, was also taken down from the public on Tuesday. That day, its web address listed it as a private site accessible only to the owner.
Wheaton did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The crash is still under investigation, a Sheriff's Department spokesman said.
The deadly crash occurred around 10:20 p.m. along the 2200 block of Pacific Coast Highway, around the same time Nobu Restaurant was hosting a party that had not obtained the required permits from the city, the Malibu Times reported.
