California Police said on Friday that a 92-year-old woman grazed a cyclist while making a left turn, then crashed into the 99 Ranch Market, causing a fatal accident.
The crash occurred on Thursday in Westwood, Los Angeles, resulting in three fatalities, including two supermarket employees and a customer.
Before the fatal chain reaction crash occurred, the elderly woman appeared to make an unsafe left turn, grazing a cyclist and ultimately crashing her car into the 99 Ranch Market.
The 99 Ranch Market is a Chinese chain supermarket located at 1350 South Westwood Boulevard (corner of Rochester Avenue) in Westwood. There are approximately twenty 99 Ranch Markets in California.
Currently, the police are conducting a preliminary investigation, and it is unclear whether the driver panicked and hit the gas pedal or mistook the gas pedal for the brake.
The car involved is a Mercedes sedan, which fully crashed into the bakery section of the supermarket. Authorities will inspect the vehicle to determine if there were any mechanical malfunctions.
Police stated they will extract information from the vehicle’s onboard computer and check the driver’s medical and driving records to determine if there were any restrictions on her driving qualifications.
The driver has been cooperating with the investigation, according to the authorities.
The county coroner confirmed that one of the deceased victims was 42-year-old Deris Renjo. The Los Angeles Fire Department reported that a 55-year-old man and a 30-year-old man died at the scene.
Two of the deceased were supermarket employees and one was a customer. Additionally, at least six people were injured.
Two critically injured individuals are both 35-year-old men, while two with moderate injuries are 37 and 38 years old. The driver of the sedan and the cyclist were assessed at the scene but refused medical treatment.
According to the California Post, shortly after the accident, a video showed the elderly driver sitting dazed in her damaged Mercedes. One victim was seen lying on the hood, surrounded by debris.
In the video, the passenger side door was open, and the window was shattered into pieces. The person filming instructed the driver in Spanish not to move to prevent further harm. “Please don’t move,” he pleaded.
The 99 Ranch Market is only a few blocks away from the University of California, Los Angeles campus. The aftermath of the accident left a scene of chaos, with glass shards, shopping bags, and food scattered around.
In the video, the person filming mentioned that they were about to enter the store to buy a drink when the accident occurred. He mentioned that someone had died and advised onlookers to leave the scene.
The latter part of the video showed people cleaning up the debris and calling for medical personnel.
“We need an ambulance!” an anxious woman told an approaching police officer at the scene.
Before the video ended, emergency responders began clearing the area and assisting the injured individuals.