Woman Killed, Man Injured When Car Hits Tree
A man was listed in critical condition and his passenger, a 50-year-old Ventura woman, died Thursday after the man lost control of his sport utility vehicle and, going about 50 mph, crashed into a tree, authorities said.
The accident, which may have been triggered when the driver suffered “an unknown medical emergency,” took place about 2:20 p.m. at Dixie Canyon Avenue and Valley Vista Boulevard, said Los Angeles Police Sgt. Lester Freeman.
Investigators believe the SUV was traveling 40-60 mph when the driver lost control, ran over an oleander bush and hit a large oak tree before ricocheting into another tree, Freeman said.
“Something caused the driver’s leg . . . to lock on the accelerator,” Freeman said. “When the first units got there, the man’s foot was still in the locked position on the accelerator.”
Both victims were taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center. Their relationship was not known.
The passenger, whose name was withheld pending notification of relatives, was pronounced dead at the hospital, a nursing supervisor said.
The driver, James Stewart Haldan, 50, of Sherman Oaks, was reported in critical condition after undergoing surgery.
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