Police Investigating Cause of Car Crash That Injured 9

Los Angeles police Tuesday were investigating whether the drivers of two vehicles involved in an accident at a Van Nuys intersection were under the influence of drugs or alcohol when their cars collided, injuring nine people.

Blood tests scheduled to be completed next week will determine whether Jose Fernandez, 31, and Richard Condap, 41, both of Van Nuys, were intoxicated at the time of the Monday night crash, Detective Rick Talkington said.

Fernandez was the driver of a Chevy Blazer carrying six passengers, four of them children, when it collided with a station wagon driven by Condap, who was traveling with passenger Donna Truex, Talkington said. The crash occurred about 7:45 p.m. Monday at Sherman Way and Louise Avenue.

“Somebody ran a red light. We just don’t know who,” Talkington said. “We have no witnesses.”

All nine people inside the vehicles were injured.

Fernandez was listed in good condition and Susalia Navarro, 29, of Van Nuys, was listed in serious condition Tuesday. Three children who also were passengers in the Blazer were listed in critical condition and a fourth was listed in satisfactory condition.

Police said they believe Navarro is the mother of the four children. The condition of a seventh passenger, Armando Sierra, 24, of Van Nuys, could not be determined.

Meanwhile, Condap was listed in good condition Tuesday, and Truex, a 32-year-old Fresno woman, was listed in serious condition.

It appeared that only one passenger riding inside the Chevy Blazer was wearing a seat belt, Talkington said. He speculated that the other passengers might have suffered fewer injuries had they been wearing seat belts.

Nearby residents said the intersection has been the site of many collisions and that police have stepped up enforcement efforts to catch speeding motorists.