Hit-Run Accident, 2nd Crash, Claim Lives of 2

Two separate traffic accidents in the San Fernando Valley late Wednesday afternoon claimed the lives of a man and a woman, one of whom was killed by a hit-and-run driver, Los Angeles police reported.

The hit-and-run accident occurred about 5:30 p.m. in Mission Hills when a male motorist exiting the southbound San Diego Freeway at Rinaldi Street ran a stoplight and struck a car driven by a women in her early 20s. She was pronounced dead at the scene, Officer Robert Robinson said.

The man was last seen running from his car, and investigators searched his vehicle in an attempt to track him down, police said. He was still at large several hours after the crash. The victim’s name was withheld pending notification of relatives.

In the other accident, a 58-year-old male motorist died in Sherman Oaks after his car struck another in the rear at a stoplight at Woodman Avenue and Riverside Drive. The man, who was driving north on Woodman, died of a heart attack, but it was not known if he suffered the seizure before or after the accident, Robinson said. He was pronounced dead at Medical Center of North Hollywood shortly after the 4:35 p.m. crash. His name was also withheld.