Dennis RomeroThree people, including a child, died when a minivan flipped over on the 134 freeway in Eagle Rock and sailed off a freeway bridge and onto Figueroa Street below on Sunday, according to L.A. fire officials and reports.
Broadcast news coverage indicated the van veered out of control, possibly as a result of a blown tire, flipped over a few times, ejected a child, and then went through a gap dividing the east and westbound lanes, landing three, four or more stories below.
Onlookers were horrified:
Three others inside the vehicle, including a 6-year-old girl, a 55-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman, were hospitalized in serious to critical condition, stated Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The dead included one man, one woman and one child, he said.
It happened about 6:55 p.m., according to the LAFD. News footage showed the van on its side, and Humphrey said rescuers had to free trapped patients inside.
The van had apparently been travelling east on the freeway when it flipped and went over the side. Witnesses said they heard a loud crash and screams after the accident, with gasoline covering Figueroa.
The official cause was under investigation by the CHP.
[Update at 11:51 a.m.]: A fourth victim, an adult, died in a hospital, coroner's coroner's Lt. Joe Bale told City News Service. ID's of the victims were not yet available.
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