7 Injured in High-Speed Car Crash at Intersection

A suspected drunk driver traveling 75 m.p.h. struck a pedestrian before colliding with a car carrying seven people Saturday at a busy intersection, authorities said.

Luis Rivera, 31, of San Fernando was booked on suspicion of felony drunk driving and held in lieu of $25,000 bail at Van Nuys Jail, said Officer Clark Baker of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Valley traffic division.

Police officers who arrived at the scene shortly after the crash said they were amazed that no one was killed in the accident.

“We had four bodies, two adults and two infants, lying in the street,” Sgt. Ken Johnson said.

Rivera drove his Pontiac Trans Am southbound through a red light at San Fernando Road at 6:45 p.m., striking pedestrian Insonte Sanchez, 57, of Pacoima before colliding with a car traveling west on Van Nuys Boulevard. Sanchez suffered a broken hip in the accident, police said.

The westbound vehicle, driven by Pedro Lopez, 26, of Pacoima was carrying seven people, including two young children who were ejected from the car on impact, police said.

Lopez then lost control of his car and struck a car driven by Hugo Benjamin Argueta, 36, of Pacoima, who was in the left-turn lane on the eastbound side of Van Nuys Boulevard.

Seven people were transported to Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, police said.

Two people suffered serious injuries and five others received minor injuries in the accident, police said.