2 Die in Separate Traffic Accidents

An elderly man returning from an errand for his wife died Tuesday after his car hit a building on Van Nuys Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, said Los Angeles Police Officer Robert Wingett. He was believed to have suffered a heart attack.

Forbes West of Sherman Oaks had complained to his wife that he did not feel well, Wingett said, and she had urged him not to drive. However, West went to a pharmacy at 3:30 p.m. and was returning to his Hazeltine Avenue home when he left the eastbound Ventura Freeway at Van Nuys Boulevard, drove through a fence and into the side of an office, Wingett said.

Another accident killed a 16-year-old girl whose car hit another vehicle after she ran a red light in Pacoima, Los Angeles police said.

Cynthia Diaz of Pacoima died of chest and head injuries at Serra Memorial Health Center on Tuesday, Sgt. Dennis Zine said. She was driving north on San Fernando Road when she collided with a southbound car trying to turn left onto Branford Street, Zine said. The driver of the other car, Esteban Vaquera, complained of minor injuries, Zine said.