Four Dead in 134 Freeway Accident
Posted on August 13, 2012 Written By: iadminlaw
1995-1998 Ford Explorer (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
When people are travelling on roadways, accidents can sometimes take them by surprise. For a group of people driving on a freeway, this surprising accident turned into four wrongful death accidents. A blown tire from an SUV caused severe personal injury for the people involved, eventually ending in their deaths. These sad casualties were totally unexpected, just like in most accidents. Families of the victims are grieving during this greatly sad time.
On Sunday night, August 12, a tire from an SUV vehicle blew out. While this type of incident would normally involve the vehicle pulling to the side of the road and calling AAA or getting the spare tire, this event took a turn for the worse. Once the tire popped on the large vehicle, the driver lost control of the car, sparking the heartbreaking event around 7 p.m.
The seemingly simple incident of a popped tired quickly turned dramatic. On the 134 Freeway, the driver lost control which caused the SUV Ford Explorer to roll then plunge of the roadway and crash into Eagle Rock which was the street below. Four people were killed while two others in the vehicle were injured.
Heading eastbound, the Ford Explorer was in the far left lane when it hit a bit of raised asphalt in the curb. The car was already experiencing tire problems; debris was seen coming from the automobile before in rolled and plummeted. After hitting the raised asphalt, the car rolled twice and fell through the space between the bridges. They fell about 75 to 100 feet below the freeway. The event happened about 35 feet onto North Figueroa Street.
Three people were pronounced dead on the scene. These victims were a six-year old girl, a man in his 40s, and a female in her 30s. The six-year old was ejected from the vehicle and officials are saying that she may not have been wearing a seatbelt. A fourth man, who was 56-years old, died from his injuries overnight at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena. When the accident occurred, the 56-year old man was brought to the hospital along with a 36-year old woman who had been in critical condition at the night of the crash.
California Highway Patrol is currently investigating the scene of the accident. They closed off a large part of the freeway and took much of the night to look through the scene. Two of the lanes were reopened at 9:20 p.m. on Sunday evening but the rest of the lanes were reopened at 2 a.m. early Monday morning.
The officials are saying that the blown tire was a possible cause of the crash. However, there was alcohol found at the scene which is raising suspicion on whether that may also have been a factor.
These types of car accidents are so shocking. The families and loved ones of the victims must be grieving over the wrongful deaths that took place. If you have been involved in an accident, consult with a Los Angeles personal injury attorney to see which steps you should take next.
