New Year's Eve took a tragic turn on the streets of South Los Angeles as three separate traffic collisions claimed the lives of individuals and wrought devastation upon families and the community. The Los Angeles Police Department reported a grim sequence of events that saw a pedestrian fatally hit by multiple vehicles in a hit-and-run incident. An SUV driver smashed into a family car after speeding away from an earlier collision, and a jaywalker struck nearing the promise of a new year.
The first incident occurred just before 11:00 p.m. on December 31, with a pedestrian crossing Western Ave near 247th Pl being struck by a vehicle and subsequently by two others which failed to stop and render aid, leading the pedestrian to lose his life at the scene. According to the LAPD Newsroom, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded but pronounced the male pedestrian deceased. The identification process is underway, to be released by L.A. County Coroner investigators.
Minutes later, tragedy struck again when an SUV, attempting to quickly flee a traffic collision, smashed into a small sedan carrying a family of four at around 11:20 p.m. The sedan, with a father behind the wheel and a mother and two young sisters in car seats, was catapulted into a street corner after the SUV ran a stop sign at 60th Pl and Normandie Ave. Good Samaritans rushed to extract the family from the wreck. Despite their efforts, the father was pronounced dead at the scene and, heartbreakingly, the eldest child succumbed to her injuries upon reaching the hospital. The mother and younger sister are in critical condition, the latter fighting for her life in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
The driver of the SUV is hospitalized with serious injuries and faces possible murder and gross vehicular manslaughter charges. South Traffic Detectives are working to identify the family and have urged public assistance in locating the drivers involved in the initial hit-and-run event. A reward of up to $50,000 is on the table, funded by a City Council initiative to encourage the community's aid in such cases.
As the clock ushered in January 1st, another pedestrian was struck while crossing La Cienega Blvd outside of the crosswalk around 12:05 AM. This driver remained at the scene, is cooperating with authorities, and displayed no DUI symptoms, the LAPD communicated. Detectives from the Vehicular Homicide Section have taken charge of the investigations, piecing together the night's events that have cast a pall over the year's beginnings. The public can provide information anonymously through the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or via their “P3 Tips” mobile app, detailed the LAPD announcement.
