2 Killed, Dog Survives When Car Plunges Off 118 Freeway In Chatsworth
CHATSWORTH (CBSLA.com) — A small dog is the lone survivor of a crash that killed a man and a woman overnight in Chatsworth.
Their 2008 Mercedes-Benz plunged off the 118 Freeway at the De Soto Avenue offramp just after midnight Sunday, according to California Highway Patrol.
A CHP crash investigator says the man driving eastbound on the freeway made an unsafe turning movement for an unknown reason.
The Mercedes-Benz smashed through the guardrail separating the freeway and the offramp, careened through a chain link fence fell 150 feet and landed on its roof.
When crews righted the overturned vehicle they found the bodies of the two victims inside.
Late Sunday, officials identified the female victim as 50-year-old Gwen Bolden, a well-known fitness trainer known as "Body By Gwen."
The driver has been identified as Diijon D. Bishop.
Crews also found a little, white dog, whose collar read "Harley," outside the car. The animal was said to be in good condition, considering the severity of the crash.
The pet was taken to the West Valley Animal Shelter by CHP officers. Harley was Bolden's dog, an 8-year-old terrier mix.
The totaled car was lifted by a crane, but crews said the winds made it difficult to lift. They then used the crane to move the car to the side and then hoisted it out by a cable on a truck perched above the canyon.
CBS2's Brittney Hopper spoke to people who knew Bolden and Bishop well.
"Gwen was one of those friends, who always gave you comfort," said dear friend Nikki Rich, "when you came around, she was always the type of person who uplifted you when you needed to be."
Rich added, "I can't believe she's gone."
Bolden's husband was too distraught to talk on camera.
Bishop worked as a video editor at Shepherd Church in Porter Ranch.
A pastor there told Hopper "the church is devastated over his death."
Investigators said drugs and alcohol do not appear to be factors in the crash.