Six people, including two children, were injured Sunday in a Van Nuys traffic accident, authorities said.
A red sport utility vehicle carrying a family of four struck the right side of a blue sedan carrying two adults about 2:25 p.m. at Oxnard Street and Tyrone Avenue, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said.
The man in the sedan was not breathing when authorities arrived, until a firefighter “very carefully opened his airway which gave him a fighting chance,” Humphrey said. Firefighters used hydraulic prying tools to free the man from the wreckage and he, along with the female driver, were taken to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills.
The man was in critical condition, while the woman’s condition was serious. Both are believed to be in their 20s. The occupants of the SUV, which included two young boys who had been in child seats, were taken to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, Humphrey said.
One of the boys suffered a cut to the forehead that exposed bone. He was in serious condition, while the rest of the family was in fair condition. “The proper use of car safety seats clearly minimized their injuries and likely saved their lives,” Humphrey said of the children.
It was not known what caused the crash. The Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Traffic Division is investigating the crash.
— Corina Knoll