10 Hurt in 4-Vehicle Accident

Ten people were injured, four critically, when a car ran a red light in a residential neighborhood in Arleta and touched off a multi-vehicle crash Sunday, police said.

The driver of a Chevrolet Camaro failed to stop for a red light at the corner of Terra Bella Street and Woodman Avenue at about 7:30 p.m., said Los Angeles Police Sgt. Art Haversatt. The driver had alcohol on his breath and beer cans were found inside his car, Haversatt said.

Just after the Camaro ran the red light, an Isuzu pickup truck heading south on Woodman Avenue broadsided it, then hit a motorcycle, Haversatt said. After the impact, the Camaro veered across the center of the street and hit a Chevrolet Monte Carlo head-on. The force of the collision caused the Camaro to shift into reverse and make a half-turn across both lanes of traffic until it ended up on the lawn in front of an apartment house and hit a tree, Haversatt said.

Two people were trapped in one vehicle and firefighters had to use the “jaws of life” to extricate them, he said. Authorities would not release the names of those injured.

Two of the critically injured were taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center. The other two with critical injuries were taken to Holy Cross Medical Center, Haversatt said. The six others with less serious injuries were taken to various area hospitals.

Depending on the outcome of a blood-alcohol test, authorities may file drunk-driving charges against the driver of the Camaro, Haversatt said.