Vehicle Crash in Los Angeles Injures Eight Pedestrians
Eight people were injured when a van hopped the curb and crashed into a group of people dining at a popular restaurant.
At least eight people were injured on Sunday afternoon when a two-car collision sent a van hurtling into a group of people dining at a popular restaurant in the Mid-Wilshire neighborhood of Los Angeles, police said.
The incident took place around 4 p.m. local time. Witnesses described the scene as chaotic as the van plowed through a white picket fence that surrounded the diners on the patio at the The Fish Spot on Pico and Redondo boulevards.
The injuries were extensive, from broken limbs to profuse bleeding from the head, as people tried to uncover them from the debris. Five men and three women, ranging from 18 to 51, were taken to the hospital according to Los Angeles Fire Department.
The 44-year-old was in critical condition, while a 30-year-old man and two women, ages 18 and 28 were in serious condition. The four others who were hospitalized were in fair condition. Everyone injured in the crash is expected to survive.
Police have concluded that the collision was a result of the van running a red light. Once the van came to a stop in the middle of the group of people, the driver attempted to flee on foot.
“He didn’t get very far at all,” Los Angeles police Sgt. C. Barlow said. Bystanders managed to detain him less than a block away. The driver was booked on suspicion of a felony hit and run.
Police said they don’t believe the van’s driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, nor do they believe he acted intentionally.