Woman is dead, four injured in fiery crash

LANCASTER — One woman is dead and four other people were injured after a fiery crash Thanksgiving night.

Traffic investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Lancaster station are investigating the circumstances of the fatal traffic collision that occurred at 7:20 p.m. Thursday at 20th Street East and Avenue J-8.

According to the preliminary investigation, a woman suspected of speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol went through a red traffic signal in her white BMW. She was southbound on 20th Street East at Avenue J-8. As she ran the red light, she collided with a Chevrolet HHR driven by a woman eastbound on Avenue J-8.

The force of the impact between the vehicles caused the Chevrolet HHR to roll over and catch on fire. Deputies that responded to the scene were able to put out the fire with the help of nearby residents. The deputies

then attempted life-saving efforts on the Chevrolet driver until the fire department arrived. However, despite their efforts, the woman suffered fatal injuries and died.

According to scanner reports Thursday night, the Antelope Valley Hospital was unable to accommodate all the trauma patients, so one the passengers in the BMW was airlifted to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills with serious injuries.

The BMW driver and two of her three passengers were transported to local hospitals with minor to moderate injuries. The driver was later arrested for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and other related charges.

The cause of the collision is still under investigation, but speed and alcohol are factors in this collision, according to a news release from the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the traffic investigators at the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station at 661-9488466.