LAPD have released the horrific CCTV footage of a high-speed pile-up which killed six people including a 3-year-old child and a pregnant woman.
A car travelling at breakneck speed along the Windsor Hill distract of Los Angeles can be seen completely disregarding a red light before ploughing into traffic moving past the intersection.
The black Mercedes was travelling so fast, flames can be seen coming from the wheels as the driver makes a split-second attempt to break before colliding into the side of another car, causing a huge fireball to erupt.
The two cars whack into numerous others like pinballs before the mangled mess comes to a stop next to a gas station down the street. The vehicles stopped just a few feet away from the pumps at the iconic South La Brea gas station.
Had the burning cars hit the pumps, major explosion could have occurred.
The horror crash killed six people at the scene including a 3-year-old child, a heavily pregnant woman and her unborn baby. Several others are being treated for serious injuries.
The CCTV footage of the awful incident was taken from a gas station before the intersection where the crash happened.
LA residents took to social media to urge locals to check up on their loved ones. Photos posted of the wreckage shows vehicles completely blackened by an inferno and crumpled into unrecognizable pieces, showing the severity of the crash.
“Those two [cars] right there exploded, just fire everywhere,” one witness told NBC.
“It looked like the whole intersection from corner to corner was on fire. A lot of sparks and electricity,” witness, Harper Washington told ABC. He went on to say that the explosions and fire was so intense, he had initially thought a bomb had detonated:
“I was under the impression that, really at first, I thought they dropped a bomb on us. I thought another world war had started. Then I realized it was a car into the sign.
“Once the fire went away and the booming left, I realized it was two cars there. They said: ‘You could see the people on fire and that’s just sad. I really pray for the people and the community.”
Veronica Esquivel had been using the gas pumps when the crash happened and narrowly escaped debris and car parts which were hurtling towards her:
“I was about to pump gas and all of a sudden, I hear all of the noises from all of the collisions, and then the fire explosion and I saw things, metal and things flying in the air. So, I just covered myself behind the pump.”
Those who lost their lives in the crash have not yet been officially identified. Nine were injured, reportedly including the driver of the Mercedes which ran the red light. Six of the injured are said to be children and teenagers.
There were rumors circulating on social media that pregnant social media influencers, Kayla Nicole and Miracle Watts were among those killed in the collision, but these claims have since been debunked.
The LAPD has yet to make any comment or shed any further details about the incident.
This story syndicated with permission from For the Love of News