25 people were hurt, including five who are listed in critical condition, when a 22-year-old driver crashed into a group of police enforcement recruits from around Los Angeles County on Wednesday.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported in a news release that 16 other recruits had minor injuries, while four further recruits had moderate injuries. According to Capt. Sheila Kelliher of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the driver also sustained minor wounds. Everybody was transferred to nearby hospitals.
At a separate press conference on Wednesday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva stated that the collision appeared to be an accident. a terrible accident.
According to Villanueva, the driver who was traveling the wrong way had no signs of intoxication and blew a zero during a breathalyzer test that was conducted on the spot. The sheriff reported that there were no skid marks to be seen at the scene of the collision.
Villanueva described the scene as like an aeroplane disaster since there were so many victims scattered around in various levels of injury. “It was a fairly traumatic experience for everyone.”
The recruits are all from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, according to Kelliher’s initial statement. However, according to Villanueva, those hurt also include police recruits from Bell, Pasadena, Glendale, and the LA Sheriff’s Department. Although they were present, police recruits from UCLA and El Segundo were unharmed.
The 75 recruits were participating in what Captain Ted McDonald of the LASD Training Bureau called a “normal run” as part of their 22-week training program. They were all dressed in white t-shirts and green shorts. They were racing in four lines and were being followed by two safety cars when they were struck, according to McDonald.
According to officials, the collision happened roughly 500 feet from a fire station. According to Los Angeles Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, the immediate hospital transport of the four most seriously hurt patients probably saved their lives.
The incident, according to Kelliher, was “difficult to observe since these young individuals are about to go put themselves at risk in their careers. And who knows that you might be in danger when you’re practicing for it.”