An elderly woman plowed into a busy grocery store in the wealthy Westwood neighborhood in Los Angeles, killing three people and injuring at least six people.
The crash at occurred shortly after 12 p.m. Thursday, trapping several people under the wrecked car, LAFD said.
An initial fire dispatch noted some of the victims could have been struck before the vehicle collided with the building. A silver car’s rear end could be seen poking out of the store at one point.
Three victims “were beyond any medical help,” the LAFD told the California Post, two were seriously injured, two suffered minor injuries and two declined medical transport.
A car is seen inside of a 99 Ranch Market at the scene of a fatal crash Thursday. AP
People embrace at the scene of a fatal crash outside of a 99 Ranch Market. AP
A witness at the scene described the chaos at the store after the crash.
Michelle Nava told The California Post that she was working at her nearby salon and “heard a huge crash” that sounded abnormal. “It sounded very loud, not like a normal car crash,” she said.
Nava said she saw terrified people streaming out of the bakery and a lot of smoke coming from the store.
She also spotted a woman crying on her knees, and assumed one of her loved ones died.
“Within 10-15 minutes, the ambulance came and they started taking the bodies out. That’s pretty much all I saw.”
First responders work the scene of a fatal crash outside of a 99 Ranch Market. APThe Post spotted a woman being comforted and wailing loudly across the street from the scene. Several other family members showed up and began crying as well.
The scene of a fatal car crash in Westwood. London Entertainment
First responders gather around a car seen inside of a 99 Ranch Market. APThe LAFD said the crash is not being considered an intentional deed, and the Los Angeles Police Department “is doing a thorough investigation to determine the surrounding circumstances that led up” to the crash.
The vehicle involved in the crash is a leased 2023 Mercedes Benz, per DMV records.
The woman is approximately 70 years old, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott. He said she struck a cyclist and lost control of her vehicle before crashing into the grocery store. The cyclist survived and declined a trip to the hospital.
Scott also said there was no fire and the building remained structurally stable.
The crash at occurred shortly after 12 p.m. Thursday, with reports of people trapped underneath the vehicle at the 99 Ranch Market. KTLA
The grocery store where the car accident occurred sits near the intersection of Westwood Boulevard and Rochester Ave, just blocks from UCLA. KTLA“We want you to know what your Los Angeles city fire department has done. They arrived very quickly. They tried to make a very organized incident command out of a chaotic situation, and to treat the patients as quickly as possible and rapidly transport them to emergency rooms for definitive care,” he said.
The woman driver is being evaluated and is cooperating, he said.
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Aerial footage showed multiple fire trucks and ambulances at the scene, where first responders set up a triage area to treat victims. First responders set up a white tent to cover up the body of one of the victims.
The grocery store sits near the intersection of Westwood Boulevard and Rochester Ave in the Little Persia area, just blocks from UCLA. College students frequent the area, known for its Persian restaurants
