On Thursday, February 5th, a car crashed into the 99 Ranch Market in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, causing 3 deaths and injuring 7 people.
The accident occurred at 12:11 p.m. at the intersection of Westwood Boulevard and Rochester Avenue. The Los Angeles Fire Department arrived at the scene and firefighters are currently treating the injured.
Fire Department Public Information Officer Lyndsey Lantz stated that the 7 injured individuals have been taken to nearby hospitals with Varying degrees of injuries. She mentioned that at least 3 of them are severely injured, while 2 have minor injuries. It is not yet clear whether they were hit inside or outside of the supermarket.
Lantz mentioned that investigators are working hard to determine the cause of the accident, including whether the driver had a sudden illness. The Los Angeles Police Department has also arrived at the scene to reconstruct the sequence of events.
Lantz told local media Eyewitness News that some of the injured people were initially trapped under the car.
Initially, Lantz confirmed that at least two injured individuals had died, but later fire officials reported that a third victim has also passed away. Several others sustained severe injuries, while two suffered minor injuries.
Footage from KABC Los Angeles TV’s AIR7 helicopter shows a large number of emergency personnel rushing to the scene and setting up a temporary triage area outside the 99 Ranch Market. The footage also shows a silver sedan parked in front of the supermarket.
Lantz stated that the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety has been involved to assess the stability of the building, although the car mainly crashed into the windows.
The 99 Ranch Market is a Chinese supermarket, and currently, the identities and ethnicities of the victims are unknown.
The cause of the accident has not been determined yet, but authorities have confirmed that the driver stayed at the scene.
Los Angeles Fire Department Public Information Officer Erik Scott informed the media that at the moment, it appears to be a purely accidental incident, and the driver at fault is a woman in her 70s.