1 Dead, Officer, 4 Others Hurt in Auto Crashes

One person was killed and a Los Angeles police officer was seriously injured in separate auto accidents in the San Fernando Valley on Wednesday.

Ofelia Guzman, 85, of North Hills, was walking on Sepulveda Boulevard near Nordhoff Street when she was struck and killed by a car whose driver was trying to pull into a driveway, said Officer Walter Hogue of the LAPD Valley Traffic Division.

The driver was not cited because the death was ruled an accident, Hogue said. The driver accidentally had her car in reverse when she hit the accelerator and hit the woman behind her, he said.

In the other accident, the police officer was hit by a UPS truck as the officer was picking up cones after a minor traffic incident at Saticoy Street and Haskell Avenue about 6:30 p.m., Officer Don Cox said.

The officer, 27, who was not identified, was taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center, where he was in serious condition, authorities said.

Also on Wednesday, four people were injured, one of them seriously, after three cars collided about 3 p.m. in North Hills, Los Angeles police said.

The crash occurred when a car driven by a woman apparently ran a red light at Plummer Street and Woodley Avenue, possibly because of brake failure, and hit two cars, said Officer Dave Hovey of the Valley Traffic Division.

The woman slammed into another car, causing serious injuries to a 37-year-old woman, who was taken to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, where she was listed in serious condition, a nursing supervisor said.

Two other passengers riding with her, a 77-year-old woman and a 6-year-old boy, suffered minor injuries, authorities said. Both were taken to Granada Hills Community Hospital for treatment.

Police said the driver of the car that triggered the crash was taken into custody in connection with unrelated criminal allegations. She also suffered minor injuries.