Three children injured when car drives into Saugus day-care center

Three children were injured Monday afternoon when a car drove into a Saugus day-care facility, authorities said.

Paramedics responded about 4:40 p.m. to the one-story La Petite Academy building in the Santa Clarita neighborhood, according to a dispatcher with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The dispatcher said three pediatric patients were airlifted to a hospital, but their ages weren’t immediately known.

Sean Ferguson, a county Fire Department spokesman, said the condition of all three children was serious. The condition of the driver was unknown.

Ferguson said it is standard procedure in the Santa Clarita Valley to use paramedic-equipped helicopters because it is generally faster to rush pediatric cases to hospitals by air than by vehicle.

Two air squads and additional paramedics were at the crash scene. TV helicopter footage showed a smashed front window at the campus.

Lydia Cisaruk, Le Petite Academy’s director of communications, said the vehicle was driven by a school family member and called the crash accidental.

There were three children and one staff member inside the classroom when it was struck by the vehicle, she said. The school was evacuated and the campus will remain closed while damage is being accessed, Cisaruk said.

She added: “Nothing is more important to us than the safety and well-being of our children and staff.”

La Petite Academy is a national chain that offers day care, preschool and kindergarten.