Pregnant woman, baby among at least five people killed in fiery crash outside of Los Angeles
A speeding Mercedes-Benz careened through a red light at a crowded intersection in Southern California, triggering a massive crash, which left a pregnant woman, an infant and at least three more dead.
As many as six cars were involved in the deadly incident, which unfolded on Thursday near a gas station in the unincorporated Windsor Hills about 10 miles southwest of downtown LA, according to the California Highway Patrol. Authorities responded around 2 p.m. to the intersection at La Brea and Slauson avenues.
CHP Officer Franco Pepi said the Mercedes-Benz was traveling at a speed of at least 50 mph when it ran the stop light at the bustling intersection.
Disturbing surveillance video from the scene shows a seemingly normal flow of traffic in the area before the luxury vehicle plows through a red light and into at least two cars, which then burst into flames. They were also both sent flying onto the sidewalk and against the gas station’s sign, leaving a trail of flames in their wake.
This aerial image taken from video provided by KABC-TV shows authorities responding to a traffic accident in the suburban neighborhood Windsor Hills, of Los Angeles, on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022.
One of the vehicles was entirely cut in half.
Debra Jackson, told KCBS-TV she was about to get out of her car to pump gas when she heard a huge explosion.
“The flames just went over everybody,” Jackson said. “The flames went over my whole car and they told me to jump out of my car ... because I was trying to get out of my car, to go to the gas pump. And I jumped out of my car and just left my car sitting right there.”
In wake of the crash, authorities initially said four people — three adults, including a pregnant woman and a baby — were discovered dead on the scene. A subsequent search of the wreckage however turned up a fifth body inside a burnt out vehicle.
Several people were killed, including an infant and a pregnant person, and others were injured in a fiery traffic collision in Southern California.
Veronica Esquival, a witness to the crash, recalled the horrifying moment she spotted one of the youngest victims on the ground in front of her.
“All of the sudden, a baby literally flew from the middle of the intersection to the middle of the gas station and landed right on the floor in front of me,” she told KTLA-TV. “One of the workers came and saw me with the baby and took the baby out of my hands. … Somebody tried to resuscitate the baby but the baby was gone.”
Another eight people were rushed to a nearby hospital, including the 40-year-old woman who was driving the Mercedes, Pepi told reporters during an evening news briefing. She suffered major injuries in the crash.
Several other were also injured, including a 33-year-old woman and six children ranging in age from 13 months old to 15 years old.
With News Wire Services
