Woman Dies as Car Is Rear-Ended, Burns

A woman was killed Wednesday when her car was rear-ended and burst into flames as it was stopped at a Granada Hills traffic light, Los Angeles police said.

The woman, southbound on Balboa Boulevard at Chatsworth Street, could not be immediately identified, Officer Gary Wachtler said.

The accident occurred about 11:20 a.m. when a car driven by Robert Roland Hagon, 50, of Sylmar plowed into the woman’s car, Wachtler said. Hagon’s car left no skid marks, indicating that he did not see the woman’s car in front of him, the officer said. Police estimate that Hagon’s car was traveling 35 m.p.h.

Hagon, who suffered minor injuries, was given a blood test to determine if he had been drinking, Wachtler said. Hagon was not cited by police pending processing of the tests, Wachtler said.

The collision propelled the woman’s car across the intersection and into another car in the left-turn lane for northbound traffic, Wachtler said. A woman driving that car suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene, he said.