Just outside of Los Angeles, on Thursday, a speeding automobile ran a red light and slammed into cars, killing at least four people, including a newborn, according to investigators.
According to the California Highway Patrol, a Mercedes-Benz sedan caused an accident involving up to six vehicles shortly after 1:30 p.m. in the unincorporated Windsor Hills neighborhood, roughly 10 miles southwest of downtown Los Angeles.
A number of individuals were hurled from the cars, and two of the cars caught fire. Television reports displayed the damaged and burned cars, along with a child’s car seat hidden among the street-covering debris.
The Mercedes was shown on video swerving through an intersection and colliding with at least two cars that caught fire and ended up against the corner sign of the gas station. One automobile was also split in two.
According to California Highway Patrol Officer Alicia Kolter, three adults—including one who was pregnant—and a baby were murdered.
Witness Veronica Esquivel told CBS Los Angeles, “I was ready to pump gas when all of a sudden, I heard all the noises from all the collision, and then the fire, explosion, and I saw stuff, metals, and things flying in the air. I therefore concealed myself behind the pump.
Six children were among the nine injured, according to the officials. One of them was the Mercedes’s fast driver, who suffered critical injuries and was rushed to the hospital, according to CBS Los Angeles.
Another witness, Debra Jackson, spoke to CBS Los Angeles about her experience.
“All of a sudden, I heard a big explosion, but as I was trying to turn around, the flames just went over everybody,” Jackson said. “The flames went over my whole car, and they told me to jump out of my car, because I was trying to open the door to get out of the car to go to the gas pump, and they told me to jump out of the car … so I jumped out of the car, and I just left my car sitting right there.”