Car hits terminal, girl injured

A 9-year-old girl was in critical condition Sunday evening after a car jumped a sidewalk and struck her before smashing into the wall of a terminal at Los Angeles International Airport, authorities said.

Shortly before 5 p.m. the driver, a 67-year-old man, suddenly veered from an outer lane and into a utility closet at the terminal, LAPD Sgt. Roy Ceja said.

“All indications say he probably mistook the gas pedal for the brake,” said Ceja, describing the crash as an accident. The driver did not appear to be intoxicated and does not have a known medical condition, Ceja said.

The girl, whose name was not released, was taken to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in critical condition, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said.

“It’s safe to say she’s fighting for her life,” Humphrey said.

The driver and a male passenger remained at the scene after the crash and were later hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

Several lanes near the terminal, which is used by United Airlines and United Express, were closed as emergency personnel responded to the scene, snarling traffic. All lanes were reopened shortly before 7 p.m., according to a spokeswoman for the L.A. Airport Police.

Damage to the terminal was mostly confined to the spot where the car entered the utility closet. Officials cordoned off a wider perimeter around the crash scene, including a stairwell inside the terminal, as inspectors surveyed for structural damage, LAFD Battalion Chief Armando Hogan said.

No air travel was affected by the crash, airport officials said.