2 people using wheelchairs die in separate San Fernando Valley car crashes
Two people using wheelchairs — and a third person pushing one of them — were struck and killed by vehicles as they crossed the street in separate incidents in the San Fernando Valley this week, police said.
On Thursday about 7:50 p.m., a Chevy Silverado headed southbound on Foothill Boulevard near Astoria Street in Sylmar struck a woman in a wheelchair and the man who was pushing her.
“They were crossing mid-block on Foothill,” Los Angeles Police Department Officer J. Chavez said Saturday. “The male driver of the Silverado remained at the scene and cooperated.”
The woman died at a hospital after being transported by the Los Angeles Fire Department. She remains unidentified but was in her 40s, police said.
The man with her — identified by the Los Angeles County medical examiner as Paul Chavez, 38 — died at the scene.
Traffic deaths hit a 20-year high in Los Angeles last year.
About 8 p.m. Friday, a motorist traveling south in North Hollywood on Lankershim Boulevard near Strathern Street struck and killed a 60-year-old man crossing the street in a wheelchair, Officer Chavez said. The man died at the scene.
The crash occurred outside a facility operated by LA Family Housing, a nonprofit agency that provides housing and services for homeless people. Chavez said it was not known if the man was homeless.
Leo Dagga, who works at a convenience store across the street, said the victim had come in for a bag of chips. He said the victim had not crossed in a crosswalk.
“He came every three or four days to the shop,” Dagga said. “I thought he lived in the shelter. Every month some accident happens. I’m not sure what the problem is but there are lots of accidents on this street.”
A representative of LA Family Housing didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
At least 15 collisions serious enough for the police to be called in have taken place this year within blocks of the North Hollywood crash scene, resulting in four deaths, according to LAPD figures.
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