Six Hurt as Car Hits Van, Shoves It Into Building

Six people were injured early Saturday when a car hit a parked van and sent it careening into a Pacoima night club, authorities said.

No one in El Patio Night Club at 11255 San Fernando Road was hurt in the 2 a.m. accident, but the four occupants of the van and the two people in the car were injured, said Officer Michael Ewing. The driver of the car, Refugio Hernandez, 51, of Pacoima, was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and taken to Holy Cross Hospital in Mission Hills for treatment of a broken jaw, Ewing said.

His passenger, Virginia Cortez, 49, also of Pacoima, was treated at Holy Cross for a concussion. Three people in the van suffered serious burns and a fourth was badly bruised, Ewing said.

Van Caught Fire

The force of the crash slammed the van into the front of the night club, where the vehicle burst into flames, struck a pole and then hit another building, Ewing said.

Two of the van’s passengers, Angelina Aguinaga, 26, and Jose Herrera, 26, both of Canoga Park, were taken by helicopter to St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. A third, Nellia Aguinaga, also of Canoga Park, was taken to Serra Memorial Hospital in Sun Valley. The fourth person in the van, Elizabeth Aguinaga, 27, also of Canoga Park, was badly bruised, Ewing said.

The fire burned for 20 minutes, said City Fire Department spokesman Jim Williamson. Witnesses said the wooden shutters on the nightclub windows were charred.