Boy, 3, in Serious Condition After 2-Vehicle Collision

A 3-year-old boy was airlifted to the hospital Sunday afternoon after he was ejected from a car during a two-vehicle crash at Van Nuys and Victory boulevards, police said.

Sergio Barbosa was flown by a Los Angeles Fire Department helicopter to Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, where he was reported in serious condition Sunday night. Five other people suffered minor injuries in the 12:20 p.m. accident, said Officer Gerardo Madera of the Los Angeles Police Department.

The boy was one of three children riding without a seat belt in the back storage area of a Ford Explorer when the vehicle went through a red light and was struck in the side by a Mazda minivan, Madera said. Four of the eight people in the Explorer were injured, he said.

Sergio suffered head injuries and was transported by ambulance to Van Nuys High School, where a helicopter flew him to the hospital, according to Fire Department spokesman Jim Wells.

The Explorer was traveling north on Van Nuys Boulevard and the Mazda was eastbound on Victory, Madera said. The driver of the Explorer said she had a green light, but witnesses behind the minivan told police the Mazda had the right of way, the investigating officer said.

Madera said there was no indication that alcohol was involved. No citation was issued, but the investigation is continuing, he said.