Crash Causes Concern Among Pedestrians

April 1, 2009

West Hollywood– Three people were hit by a car that spun out after being tail-clipped at the intersection of Fountain and La Brea.

Police officials said that the accident occurred during the peak hour of traffic in the area.

Two cars were traveling on opposite lanes of La Brea when a Toyota made a left towards Fountain. The intersection was not yet clear and witnesses said that the traffic light was already yellow.

The elderly women, Alina Sheyman and Maria Velasquez, were killed while a 45-year old man suffered critical injuries after they were hit.

The victims were allegedly walking in a crosswalk when the Toyota hit a Honda from the opposite lane near the tail, causing it spin uncontrollably and then hit the crossing pedestrians.

Officers said that the two drivers involved only got minor injuries. They have not been arrested.

Police are still investigating the accident to determine which party is at fault in the accident. They also said that it might have been just a freak accident.

The fatal traffic accident, however, raised some concerns from residents of the area.

Rebecca Evans, a resident who witnessed the accident said, "I walk every day in this area, and sometimes I even cross the street not exactly in the crosswalk, so it was very frightening."

La Brea is considered to be a major thoroughfare in West Hollywood and has a bad history of drivers trying to run a red light. A large walking population and heavy vehicular traffic are a couple of considerable factors that add up to the rising vehicular hazard for pedestrians in the area.