Man Killed, 3 Suffer Minor Injuries in 3-Car Collision

A San Fernando man was killed and three people suffered minor injuries Saturday morning in a three-car collision at the intersection of Paxton Street and Bradley Avenue, authorities said.

Rafael Barrera Franco, 41, was pronounced dead at the scene by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics, said Officer Toni Wolfe of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Valley Traffic Division. Franco was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident, she said.

Franco’s wife, Maria Prodijo, who is six months pregnant, was riding in the back seat and complained of neck and back injuries, Wolfe said. She was taken to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, where she was to be kept overnight for observation.

A 1 1/2-year-old infant, who was also riding in the back seat, was not injured, Wolfe said. The boy was not in a child safety seat, she said.

The driver of the second car, Betty Chavez, 58, and her son, Felix Chavez, 38, both of Pacoima, complained of neck and back pain and were taken to Olive View-UCLA Medical Center in Sylmar, where they were treated and released, Wolfe said.

In the third car, driver Gustayo Casillas of Pacoima suffered minor injuries when the car’s air bag deployed, Wolfe said. Casillas, 26, was treated at the scene.

The accident occurred about 9:30 a.m., Wolfe said, when the Volkswagen bug Franco was driving south on Bradley struck the right front of the Chrysler New Yorker that Chavez was driving west on Paxton. The back ends of the cars also collided after the initial impact, she said.

Franco was ejected from his car when it spun around and then stopped in the eastbound lanes of Paxton, Wolfe said.

Chavez’s car continued on Paxton and struck the Toyota Camry driven by Casillas, which was stopped at a light in the eastbound lane, Wolfe said.

“The detectives at this time have not filed any charges against Mrs. Chavez,” Wolfe said. “If they do, it would be misdemeanor manslaughter.”

The accident remains under investigation, Wolfe said.