1 Boy Dead, Another In 'Grave' Condition After Car Plunges Into LA Harbor
SAN PEDRO (CBSLA.com) — Tragedy struck at the Port of Los Angeles when a vehicle transporting a family of four drove off the pier, killing a 13-year-old boy inside and gravely injuring an 8-year-old relative.
"All of a sudden, I just hear this really big thump, then a splash," said Roger Velasu, who saw it all unfold around 6 p.m. Thursday.
Velasu says he almost jumped into the water to help rescue the family. He says a man and women escaped from the submerged car and swam to the surface.
He recounted what happened next: "A mother and a father were like, 'Help us! Help us! My kids are sinking! They're drowning!'"
Moments later, L.A. City Fire rescue divers pulled out two boys still trapped in the vehicle.
Fire officials say both had no pulses and weren't breathing when they were brought out of the water. They were transported in "grave" condition to a hospital.
Two hours later, officials announced that the 13-year-old boy had died.
The two adults have been listed in fair condition.
Investigators say the car left a parking lot at the Ports O Call Village in San Pedro and then ran off the road at Berth 73, landing upside down in roughly 30 feet of water.
Detectives say they're trying to pinpoint the cause.
LAPD Capt. Brian Whitten said, "We don't know if the vehicle was driven into the water intentionally or accidentally, and our investigation will attempt to determine that."
As of 11 p.m., crews were still trying to pull the vehicle out of the harbor.