Police and fire officials say an elderly motorist lost control of a Toyota RAV4 Wednesday at a California Toyota dealership. A woman was killed as a result of the crash, which also injured two employees.
L.A. Fire Department video via YouTube
The initial investigation suggests the driver may have accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake, according to a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson.
A vehicle struck and killed a dealership customer while the collision injured two employees in the service area at Hamer Toyota in Mission Hills, Calif., on Wednesday morning, according to police and fire officials.
Bystanders freed the woman, who was trapped under a 2017 Toyota RAV4, and attempted to revive her, but she later died of her injuries, according to police and a dealership employee.
An elderly motorist, who was a dealership customer, lost control of the vehicle, which “crashed through a glass enclosed reception area and came to rest against a distant cinder block wall well within the business,” according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The initial investigation suggests the driver may have accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake, according to a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson.
The collision dragged the 56-year-old woman over 20 feet, the fire department said. An off-duty nurse tended to the “pulseless and non-breathing woman” before she was transported to a hospital where she later died, the fire department said.
Bystanders, including several employees, freed the woman from under the vehicle using jacks, general sales manager Johnny Younan told Automotive News.
“It was amazing how everybody just chipped in and went in there and just started trying to help,” he said.
The incident left everyone at the dealership feeling shocked and scared, Younan said.
“We just heard a loud crash. Everybody went into fight or flight to try to do everything they could to help,” he said. “And when all the dust settled, it hit everybody what actually happened.”
The other victims, who were employees, included a 23-year-old man who sustained an arm laceration and a 35-year-old man who had head and foot injuries. They both were taken to the hospital for their injuries, but Younan said they have since been released.
The driver was uninjured, according to the fire department. Younan said the driver was in a daze following the crash.
Afterwards, Younan said dealership staff gathered in a conference room to discuss the incident before deciding the store would close for the rest of the day. Counselors also were made available.
“When everything’s said and done, it’s just awesome how everybody came together to help,” he said. “We’ve been getting an outpour of love from the community and we just hope everybody is okay.”
The dealership reopened Thursday.
The fire department said early evidence suggests the incident was an accident, but the Los Angeles Police Department investigation is ongoing.
