The traveling ICU nurse who killed six people in a horror crash in Los Angeles on Thursday after plowing her Mercedes 90mph through a busy intersection had a ‘profound’ history of mental illness and had been involved in 13 prior crashes, but was still subcontracted to work in a hospital and allowed to drive.
Nicole Lorraine Linton, 37, is being held on six murder charges as a consequence of Thursday’s incident.
Craig Pitchford was revealed as another another victim on Tuesday.
Two additional female victims are yet unidentified.
Linton is from Houston, Texas, and was in Los Angeles working as a contractor at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Hospital.
She was employed by the nurse contractor company AMN Healthcare, which she joined in October 2020.
Her counsel said in court yesterday that she has a “deep” history of mental health difficulties.
He said they would have contributed to the collision and requested that her arraignment be postponed until October.
Craig Pitchford’s relatives identified him as the fourth casualty of the collision yesterday.
Prosecutors also found that Linton had been involved in 13 previous car accidents, including one in 2020 in which two automobiles were wrecked.
The Los Angeles Times reported on the collisions yesterday, but no other information has been released.
It’s puzzling how Linton was able to work in healthcare, much alone in the ICU, while having such severe mental health issues as her attorney claimed.
She cried in court on Monday after being charged with six charges of murder.
Linton was speeding at least 90 mph when she went past a red light and collided with crossing cars at the busy junction of La Brea and Slauson Avenues.
Following the horrific collision, Asherey Ryan, 23, was declared dead at the scene with her one-year-old kid Alonzo Luchiano Quintero and her unborn baby boy.
Renald, the father of the unborn child, was also killed in the collision as the automobile broke in two instantly on contact, according to family members.
When Linton crashed into the automobile Asherey, Renald, and young Alonzo were driving in on their way to a doctor’s appointment for a pregnancy check-up.
Nicole L. Linton, 37, is being detained on a $9 million bail after a tragic vehicle accident in Los Angeles.
Nicole L. Linton, 37, is being detained on a $9 million bail after a tragic vehicle accident in Los Angeles.
‘A young family was decimated in the blink of an eye,’ Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón said Monday.
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‘There has been terrible devastation to the relatives and friends of those slain and wounded.’
‘It is a great loss not just to their families, but to our whole community, who learnt of this horrific tragedy after seeing the now-viral footage of the incident.’
Pitchford, the sixth victim, was identified by his family.
‘On August 4th, 2022, we unfortunately lost Craig Pitchford, beloved Father, Grandfather, and friend,’ they stated in a GoFundMe campaign Wednesday. Craig was one of the victims killed in the tragic incident between Slauson and La Brea.
‘Because there is no insurance, we are gathering donations for his funeral ceremony.’ We appreciate any gift you are moved to make.’