O.C. Navy Officer Among 40 Hurt in Taxicab Crash

A naval officer from Seal Beach suffered minor injuries early Saturday when the taxi he was riding in careened out of control and crashed into a night club, injuring 40 people on a dance floor.

Lt. Steve West, 26, complained only of a headache Saturday after the crash, said his wife, Jennifer, in Seal Beach. West, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, was in Philadelphia for the Army-Navy football game, which the Army won 22-20 later in the day.

“He was very shook up when he called,” said Jennifer West, who spoke briefly to her husband after the crash, and was awaiting another call Saturday night. “I’m still worried about him. He may have whiplash for all I know.”

The incident at Philadelphia’s Club Deco happened shortly after midnight when the cab, driven by Jalal Masih, hit two cars, jumped a curb and then crashed through a plate-glass window into the bar, police said.

Officials said three people were hospitalized in guarded condition and a fourth was listed as stable. Others, including Masih, were treated for minor injuries and released. The cause of the accident was under investigation.

Times staff writer Martin Miller and Reuters contributed to this report .