LOS ANGELES—A woman in her 30s was killed and a roughly 6-year-old girl believed to be her daughter was critically injured April 25 when they were struck by a possibly impaired driver while walking near Hancock Park Elementary School in the mid-Wilshire area.
The crash was reported at about 8 a.m. near Fairfax and Colgate avenues, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Police said the woman and girl were walking in a crosswalk in the 6200 block of West Colgate Avenue and they were struck by the southbound pickup, which then continued south and crashed into an apartment building.
“The adult female was sadly found to be deceased on scene,” according to a Los Angeles Fire Department statement. “The young girl was transported in critical condition.”
The motorist, a man about 30, was taken to a hospital in “moderate” condition, the fire department reported. He was detained at the hospital pending further investigation.
The cause of the crash was under investigation, but Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore told the city Police Commission Tuesday morning there are “early signs that the man was impaired.”
“That is a contributing factor to this horrific collision that resulted in the loss of this mother, and the critical injuries to this young child,” Moore said.
Police said speed was also believed to have contributed to the crash. Investigators said they were interviewing witnesses and searching for any possible video that may have captured the crash.
Police said the young girl who was struck is a first-grade student at Hancock Park Elementary.
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Superintendent Alberto Carvalho issued a statement lamenting the fatal crash.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who was involved in or witnessed the horrific traffic accident near Hancock Park Elementary School this morning,” he said. “We send our sincerest condolences to the entire school community and have mental health counselors available on-site for students and employees.”
LAUSD Board of Education member Nick Melvoin added in a statement, “Our hearts are broken over the death of a Hancock Park Elementary parent in a brazen traffic accident this morning—and our prayers are with her daughter who remains in the hospital. We are sending support to the school and will continue to ensure mental health and counseling services are available to anyone in need.”
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, who represents the area where the crash occurred, wrote on her Twitter page there are “no words to convey how horrifying this act of traffic violence is.”
“Like tens of thousands of other parents in Los Angeles, I also walked my child to school today,” she said. “It can be a terrifying experience, knowing that distracted drivers are traveling far above speed limits just feet from where our children walk.”
Yaroslavsky said she will be supporting a motion before the council’s Transportation Committee this week calling for the installation of speed bumps around every elementary school in the city.
“We need to address street safety in Los Angeles as the crisis that it is,” she wrote. “That starts with ensuring that Hancock Park Elementary has a crossing guard at the intersection where the accident occurred.”
Police reminded motorists “that if they become involved in a collision, they should pull over and stop as soon as it is safe to do so, notify emergency services, and remain at the scene to identify themselves.”
