Pedestrian In Her Late 70s Killed In 3-Car Collision; Driver Suspected Of DUI
NORTH HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA) – Cell phone video captured the chaotic moments Tuesday after a pedestrian in her late 70s was struck by a vehicle that was involved in a collision in North Hollywood.
Two vehicles collided about 3:05 p.m. at the intersection of Victory Boulevard and Vineland Avenue and one of them struck the woman, who was rushed to a hospital and later pronounced dead, according to Officer Tony Im of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations Section.
Authorities say the driver of a BMW was speeding and ran a red light.
Tony Vu was inside his nail shop at the time.
"I think the guy tried to press the brakes. I heard 'screech', and then 'boom'. It was big. It's terrible, it's the first time I saw an accident like this," he said.
Vu recorded the aftermath. Investigators say when the driver of the BMW plowed through the intersection and crashed into a Honda. That caused the BMW to veer off the roadway and hit a parked Toyota.
"That collision then caused the BMW to rotate back toward the street onto the sidewalk where it appears a pedestrian was standing. And the BMW hit the pedestrian and landed on top of the pedestrian," said LAPD Sgt. David Delgado.
A group of good Samaritans rushed to help.
"I saw people try to pull the old lady out from under the car. The lady breathed so hard, she couldn't move, she was on the ground," Vu said.
A third vehicle was also involved after the initial collision, Im said.
Two other people were also taken to a hospital, but their conditions were not immediately available.
"At this time, we are conducting a DUI investigation to determine if he was under the influence at the time the collision occurred," Delgado said.
The driver of the BMW could face manslaughter charges.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)