LOS ANGELES—Six people, including an infant and a pregnant woman, were killed and eight other people were injured in a fiery multi-vehicle crash caused by a speeding car that ran a red light in the unincorporated Windsor Hills area of Los Angeles Aug. 4.
Los Angeles County Fire Department units were called to the area of South La Brea Avenue and Slauson Avenue just before 1:40 p.m., near Ladera Park.
The incident was initially reported as a fire, but firefighters discovered that as many as six vehicles had collided in the area after a Mercedes-Benz was seen speeding southbound on South La Brea Avenue, resulting in the fire, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Video from the scene showed the suspect Mercedes traveling at a high rate of speed, running a red light at the intersection and crashing directly into a dark-colored sedan, which in turn struck several other vehicles.
The Mercedes and two other vehicles burst into flames following the collision, and the wreck came to a stop at the corner of the intersection after striking a gas station sign.
The fire department and the California Highway Patrol initially reported three adults, one infant, and one fetus died in the collision, and that there were multiple ejections due to the crash.
The highway patrol reported a sixth victim was later found dead in the burned wreckage of one vehicle, though further information was not immediately available.
At least eight other people were injured in the collision, though the extent of their injuries was not immediately known.
The Mercedes-Benz was driven by a 40-year-old woman who was being treated at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center for major injuries, according to the highway patrol. According to NBC4, she is a travel nurse and was being interviewed by the authority.
Her name was not released.
The minors who died ranged in age from 1 to 16, KCAL reported.
Veronica Esquivel, 40, told the Daily News she was about to pump gas at one of the intersection’s four stations when the crash occurred.
“I heard the collision. I saw the fire ... you see the fire at a gas station I just immediately thought explosion,” Esquivel said. “I saw things flying in the air ... I didn’t know if something was going to come through and hit me.”
The cause of the collision remains under investigation. The intersection of La Brea and Slauson avenues reopened around 3:30 a.m. Friday.
