Driver Killed in Crash With Firetruck

A 22-year-old driver died and two of her passengers were critically injured Thursday when a firetruck struck two passenger cars in South Los Angeles, authorities said.

The Los Angeles Fire Department truck was traveling behind another firetruck with its sirens and lights on en route to a fire when the accident occurred at the intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and Budlong Avenue, officials said.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. One of her passengers, a male in his 60s, was on life support, and the other, a female in her 30s, was in critical condition, said Capt. Rex Vilaubi of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The names of the victims were not released pending notification of next of kin. The firefighters’ names were also not released.

The driver of the firetruck may have sustained an elbow fracture, Vilaubi said. He and three other firefighters riding in the truck were treated at California Hospital Medical Center for minor injuries to the head, legs and arms, and have been released.

All four firefighters were wearing their seat belts, he said.

The firetrucks were traveling westbound on Jefferson Boulevard in an eastbound lane about 9:30 a.m. when the driver of the Chevrolet made a left turn into the path of the second truck, Vilaubi said.

The 35,000-pound truck collided with the car, and both vehicles struck a large tree, which fell from the impact. The Chevrolet was pushed on its side, with the driver’s side crushed by the firetruck’s front end.

The vehicles then hit a third car, a Toyota Corolla that had been stopped on the side of the road waiting for the fire engines to pass, said Capt. Bill Sutton of the Los Angeles Police Department.

The Corolla was hurled about 15 to 20 yards. An unidentified man and woman inside sustained minor injuries, authorities said.

“The firetruck ate [the Chevrolet] up like a grinder,” said Catherine Joseph, 47, a neighbor who arrived at the scene near USC shortly after the accident occurred.

The accident also clipped a power line, sending sparks into the air, said Carol Tucker, a spokeswoman for the Department of Water and Power. The short circuit left 21 businesses in the area without power for 50 minutes, she said.