Dennis RomeroUpdate: Woman ID'd, after the jump. Correction: The Los Angeles Times calls it a four-story plunge and published a photo that indeed depicts it as a four-level structure with rooftop-like parking. The LAFD had earlier reported the accident as a three-story plunge.
An elderly woman died when the car she was in burst out of the top floor of a four-level three-story parking structure in West L.A. and landed on its roof.
The apparent accident at Sepulveda Boulevard and Nebraska Avenue near a The Sports Club/LA was reported at 9:21 a.m., according to Cecil Manresa of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
According to reports …
… the vehicle actually crashed through a concrete barrier before plunging to the street below.
Capt. Brenda Crump of the LAPD West Traffic Bureau told Fox 11 News, “this is accidental.”
The driver, 76 75, was declared dead at the scene. Her name was being withheld until loved ones could be notified of her passing.
Credit: Google Maps
City building inspectors were expected to check out the structure to make sure it was safe.
Update: The LAPD on Wednesday identified the victim as 75-year-old Maris Cherry of L.A. She was behind the wheel of a Volkswagen Tiguan when it plunged down four stories of a garage used by the gym, they said.
“The reason Cherry plummeted to her death remains unclear,” police stated.
First posted at 11:37 a.m. on Tuesday, April 26.
-With reporting from City News Service. Got news? Email us. Follow us on Twitter, too: @dennisjromero.
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