Car smashes hydrant; person is extricated as geyser floods road [Video]

At least three people were injured when a traffic collision in Hawthorne sent a car crashing into a fire hydrant, unleashing a geyser of water that flooded an intersection.

Police and fire officials said the two-car crash occurred around 11:30 p.m. Sunday at El Segundo Boulevard and Prairie Avenue.

After the crash, one of the vehicles smashed into a traffic-signal pole before striking the fire hydrant, Hawthorne Police Lt. Jim Royer said.

A power outage had taken out the traffic lights at the intersection at the time of the crash, Royer said. It was unclear whether the outage caused the accident, but “obviously someone didn’t stop,” he said.

Three people were taken to a hospital, said Los Angeles County Fire Department supervising dispatcher Robert Diaz. One had to be extricated from a vehicle, he said. Officials said they did not know the conditions of the people sent to the hospital.

Video of the scene shows a smashed sedan at rest in ankle-high water and a powerful stream of water shooting into the air from the fire hydrant.

The water also hit power lines until the Fire Department contacted utility workers who were able to shut the water off, Diaz said.

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