Traffic Accidents Kill 6 in L.A. County Over Holiday

At least six people, including a 3-year-old boy, were killed in Los Angeles County traffic accidents during the Thanksgiving holiday, up from four deaths last year during the same period, the California Highway Patrol reported Sunday.

Four of the victims, among them 3-year-old Alejandro Cazares, died late Saturday when their car swerved out of control and struck a large oak tree in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles police said.

The traffic statistics, which cover an 84-hour period starting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, cover CHP jurisdictions as well as other police agencies. A CHP spokesman said the agency is trying to resolve some statistical discrepancies, and that the actual number of traffic deaths in the county might be far higher. A final tally will be available today.

Statewide, at least 44 traffic deaths were recorded, down from 46 fatalities during the same period last year.

CHP officers and police also arrested 313 motorists in Los Angeles County for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, up from last year’s 306 arrests. Across the state, 1,394 people were arrested for DUI offenses, down from 1,577 arrests in 1995.

The fatal crash in Eagle Rock occurred shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday near Annan Way and Figueroa Street, said Sgt. Tom Tavares of the LAPD’s central traffic division.

A witness told police that he saw a car suddenly veer out of control, skid 60 feet and plow into an oak tree and a parked pickup truck. He said the car did not appear to be speeding.

Killed were Jerry Romero, 18, of North Hollywood; Emma Rodriguez, 19; Anna Rodriguez, 16, and Alejandro Cazares, 3, all of Van Nuys.

Two other passengers, a 12-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, were listed in critical condition at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena.

The state’s deadliest incident--claiming six victims--occurred Friday in Baker, when two carloads of Garden Grove residents were racing on the way home from Las Vegas on Interstate 15, officials said.

A pickup truck cut off one car, which swerved through the median and struck a vehicle head-on. All four occupants in the car died, as did a Bonsall mother and son in the second vehicle, according to the CHP.

Among Los Angeles County’s fatalities were two pedestrians, including an 83-year-old West Covina man who was struck on his way to church by a hit-and-run driver.

Police said that Alphonso Williams was crossing Francisquito Avenue at Tonopah Street about 7:25 a.m. Sunday when he was hit by a brown and white Toyota pickup with a camper shell. Anyone with information about the accident can call police at (818) 814-8557.

The other pedestrian, Shake G. Lunardon, 63, of Encino, was hit Saturday evening in the Valley Village area of Los Angeles as she was delivering food from her son’s restaurant. Lunardon was fatally injured while crossing the street on Fulton Avenue. Police said the driver of the car was not cited.