Passenger Killed, Driver Injured When Car Hits Tree on Street
A passenger was killed and the driver critically injured Thursday when a sport utility vehicle lost control on a quiet residential street and slammed 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, James Stewart Haldan, 50, of Sherman Oaks, lost control, ran over an oleander bush and hit a large oak tree before the SUV ricocheted 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.
The passenger, a 59-year-old Ventura woman, was pronounced dead at the hospital, a nursing supervisor said. Her name was withheld pending notification of relatives.
Haldan was reported in critical condition after undergoing surgery.
After the crash, the vehicle’s engine caught fire and neighbors helped put out the blaze before firefighters arrived, Freeman said.
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