A video from security cameras released this Thursday reveals that a car passing a red light at high speed would have been the cause of the multiple crash near Los Angeles, California, which left at least five dead, including a pregnant woman, and nine wounded, including several children.
The crash happened around 1:40 p.m. Thursday at an intersection in Windsor Hills, about 10 miles southwest of downtown Los Angeles, and involved at least six vehicles.
Three of them were on fire when rescuers arrived, California Highway Patrol (CHP) spokesman Franco Pepi told a news conference.
Security camera video from a nearby gas station, obtained by RMG News, captures what appears to be the beginning of the fire.
The shocking footage shows a seemingly normal intersection, with traffic flowing at a reasonable pace, before a Mercedes-Benz car rockets past a red light, then crashes into cars at the intersection, bursting into flames and hurtling against a light pole, where it stops.
Investigators believe the person driving the Mercedes-Benz, a 40-year-old woman, was responsible for the crash, Pepi said.
Speeding and improperly crossing traffic lights are analyzed as the cause of the accident.
"It's very obvious from the video that everyone has seen at this point that it was a tremendously high rate of speed. Honestly, we weren't in there with a radar... but we can tell it was a high rate of speed, at a minimum of 50-60 miles per hour or more," the spokesman said.
A pregnant woman and a child among the dead
The Highway Patrol spokesman said Thursday afternoon that three adults, including a pregnant woman, were killed in the crash.
Authorities later found the remains of another person inside one of the burned vehicles, he said.
That person's gender or age were not known Thursday night.
The pregnant woman also lost her unborn child, which CHP counted as an additional death "due to exceptional circumstances," Pepi said.
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Officers are investigating a serious accident in which several people died near a service station in Windsor Hills, California.
Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The victims include a 3-year-old boy, a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told NBC News.
Witnesses described hearing an incredibly loud noise, followed by fire and electrical sparks.
Thick plumes of smoke floated in the sky for several minutes before firefighters arrived, local ABC7 reported.
Alfonso Word had difficulty speaking as he described seeing some of the victims, a pregnant woman and a child, after the accident.
"It was painful, painful," Word said, "because I have a grandson, I know people who have children."
Two adults and six minors, the youngest 13 months old, were taken to area hospitals after the crash, Highway Patrol spokesman Franco Pepi said.
The extent of injuries and additional information about those killed, including whether they were in vehicles or pedestrians, was not immediately available.
They capture the spectacular crash of a car at full speed against several parked vehicles
July 26, 202200:31
The driver of the Mercedez Benz, meanwhile, was hospitalized but was conscious and speaking to CHP investigators Thursday night, the spokesman said, adding that the severity of her injuries was unknown.
