Mother’s Day took a fatal turn for a driver in Los Angeles after their SUV became disabled on a major highway and then was hit by a tour bus, police said.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) said it is investigating the two-vehicle crash that left one person dead and sent 32 others to the hospital early Sunday. CHP said the crash happened shortly after 5 a.m. on Highway 60 West when a Nissan Pathfinder became disabled for unknown reasons, blocking traffic and causing the tour bus to collide with the SUV.
“As a result of the impact, the Nissan Pathfinder became fully engulfed in flames, trapping the lone occupant,” a spokesperson for CHP said.
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Footage from the scene shows the tour bus, which was traveling from the Morongo Casino to Koreatown, sustained significant front-end damage as well as a shattered windshield.
One passenger on the tour bus, Joe Runnel, told KTLA that he was thrown from his seat to the floor and that people were “begging for mercy” in the moments after the crash.
“I was thrown from the backseat of the bus to the floor about three or four seats down,” Runnel said. “Glass was on me … there was a lot of hollering.”
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Another driver who witnessed the crash told the outlet that “the situation unfolded so quick” and that “everyone tried to stop, but there was just not enough time.”
“It happened so quickly … a lot of chaos and then just red lights,” he said. “It’s going to be very [catastrophic], especially because it’s Mother’s Day … it’s very sad that it had to start like this,” the witness said.
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The westbound 60 Freeway will be closed between Azusa Avenue and Hacienda Boulevard indefinitely, police said. However, officers were able to re-open some lanes as of 7:30 a.m.
Police said the identity of the SUV driver is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected]
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