Two killed and four firemen hurt as street racing car smashes into …
Two people have been killed and four more injured after a crash[1] between a car and a fire[2] truck.
The two people in the car are understood to be the ones who died, with four firefighters injured. The crash happened in Compton, Los Angeles County[3] in California at the intersection of Avalon and Compton Boulevards.
A man and a woman were inside the car and died at the scene. Four firefighters are said to have suffered minor injuries.
For all the latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US[4]
The scene of the crash in Compton, California
Sergeant Jody Stottlemyer with the California Highway Patrol said: "The fire truck and the vehicle became involved in a collision at the intersection... I was told that [the fire truck's] lights were activated, they were proceeding through the intersection with a green light at the time, but that's all preliminary."
The incident reportedly happened at around 12.30am local time, with local media reporting that the two people in the car had been illegally street racing. The California Highway Patrol said two cars were racing down Compton Boulevard when one, a PT Cruiser, crashed into the fire truck.
Two people in the car were declared dead at the scene
According to investigators, the fire truck had its emergency lights on at the time of the crash. The other driver involved in the alleged street race has not yet been found.
Detectives were spotted at the scene gathering evidence trying to figure out what happened. LA County Fire was also at the scene trying to work out what happened with the car seen lying in a crumpled, smoking, mess in the middle of the road.
Investigators said the fire truck had its emergency lights on at the time of the crash
Dramatic images from the scene show crews of firefighters and California Highway Patrol officers gathering evidence and trying to piece together what happened in the crash. California Highway Patrol has not yet published an official statement regarding the crash.
The area has been cordoned off while investigators work to determine the cause of the crash. Debris can be seen lying across the road, including a 'One Way' sign which appears to have been knocked down from its location on the central reservation.
Compton lies in southern Los Angeles County, California, south of downtown Los Angeles. It's known as the 'Hub City' due to its location right in the centre of Los Angeles County.
California Highway Patrol and the LA County Fire Service are working together to investigate
It's one of the oldest cities in the county having incorporated in May 1888. The area was settled in 1867 by a group of 30 pioneering families who were led to the land by Griffith Dickenson Compton.
With a population of almost 100,000 residents, Compton is a multicultural community. According to the 2000 census, 56.8 pre cent of the population is recorded as Hispanic or Latino, 40.3 per cent as Black or African American, 1.1 per cent as Hawaiin or Other Pacific Islander, 0.7 per cent Native American or Alaskan Native, with the remaining 1.1 per cent Asian, White or other race.
References
- ^ crash (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ fire (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Los Angeles County (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ The Mirror US (www.themirror.com)