Local News in Brief : Woman Paralyzed in Crash; Motorist Jailed
A 36-year-old Northridge woman was paralyzed from the chest down after her car was hit at a Chatsworth intersection by a speeding car whose driver, police said, was under the influence of a drug.
Los Angeles police said the victim, Susan Tartakoff, was driving east on Devonshire Street at about 8 p.m. Friday. Police said a car traveling north on Winnetka Avenue at an estimated 100 m.p.h. slammed into the Tartakoff vehicle and pushed it 80 to 90 feet.
Police said Tartakoff suffered a fracture of the spine and was taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center. A hospital official said late Saturday that she was in serious condition in the intensive care unit. She said it was too early to tell if Tartakoff had been permanently paralyzed.
The driver of the speeding car, identified as Douglas Dee Gray, 19, of Panorama City, and a 17-year-old girl who was riding with him were treated at the scene for minor injuries.
Gray was arrested on a charge of felony driving under the influence and taken to Van Nuys jail, where he remained Saturday night. Bail was set at $100,000.
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