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Panorama City residents demand safety improvements
A deadly crash in Panorama City has drawn calls for improving safety in the area.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - Panorama City residents are calling for action after a fatal hit-and-run crash that killed three people Friday. The crash happened at Woodman Avenue and Terra Bella Street.
They say they want to see safety improvements to the dangerous intersection before there's another accident.
"I'm just tired of people dying," said Ola Walker. "I know people need to slow down, but we need to do more at this intersection."
For well over 30 years, Walker has lived at the corner of Woodman Avenue and Terra Bella Street.
She says she's seen many accidents, but few as bad as the crash on Friday.
Police say a minivan was speeding on Terra Bella Street when the driver did not stop for a red light and then collided with two different cars.
According to the county medical examiner's office, the three victims were identified as Adrian Carrillo, 26; Heybi Herrera-Bautista, 25; and Clemente Meza Guerrero, 24.
"When I heard a young serviceman was killed, that really got me because half my family has been in the military and here is someone who risked his life for our country, and he comes here and dies at our intersection, so something needs to be done," said Walker.
Walker says over the last few months she's been sounding the alarm at her neighborhood watch meetings about frequent accidents at this intersection and other nearby intersections.
"It's not just here. It's Sepulveda and Sherman Way," said Walker. "When I go over there, I look always and make sure nothing is coming because I've seen people blow through the lights and I just don't get it."
Sepulveda Boulevard and Sherman Way are just one of several intersections listed on an October report from Crosstown LA that names the most dangerous intersections in Los Angeles based on collision data.
"We need something, too many people are dying," said Walker.
FOX 11 reached out to Councilmember Imelda Padilla, who represents the 6th Council District of Los Angeles.
Her office sent the following statement:
"We are deeply saddened by the tragic crash that took three lives in Panorama City, and our thoughts are with the victims’ families and loved ones. Councilmember Imelda Padilla’s office has been actively elevating traffic safety concerns at this intersection to the Department of Transportation and is in ongoing coordination with our jurisdictional partners.
Our team has requested an incident report from the LAPD Valley Traffic Division and previously submitted a traffic safety service request for Woodman Avenue and Terra Bella Street.
We absolutely see an urgent need for safety improvements at this and other dangerous intersections. In the new year, Councilmember Padilla plans to prioritize a motion requesting a comprehensive traffic safety study and funding for safety improvements at the Woodman corridor, from Van Nuys to Strathern."
Investigators believe the driver was fleeing the scene of an unrelated collision prior to the crash that killed three people.
FOX 11 reached out to LAPD to see if the driver in the hit-and-run crash from Friday has been located. As of Monday night, they said they have no updates to share at this time.