By Suan Abram
The Daily News of Los Angeles
WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. — A man and woman died and their two young daughters remained in critical condition Wednesday after a high-speed, solo-vehicle crash in Woodland Hills, police said.
Witnesses reported the crash at 10:48a.m. in the 20400 block of West Califa Street, between Oso and Keokuk avenues, a quiet residential area that includes an old, vacant school, police said.
That’s where the driver, who remained unidentified, drove his Toyota RAV 4 at high speeds east down Califa Street.
“He missed the stop sign, swerved to avoid another car, and landed on his side,” LAPD Capt. Jeff Bert said.
The Toyota then slid and crashed into a parked Ford F-250 pickup. The impact caused the Toyota to flip upside down. Firefighters were called to extricate the driver, a passenger and two girls.
The girls, ages 6 and 14, were taken by ambulance to Northridge Hospital Medical Center, where they remained in critical, unstable condition, Bert said.
The impact of the collision was so hard, that the parked pickup was moved onto the curb, the bumper was sheered off and its hood was smashed in. Debris from the crash could be seen scattered in the street.
“You could not have flipped like that without high speeds,” Bert said.
The man and woman were pronounced dead at the scene.
Residents near the crash site said the family lived in the neighborhood.
Bert said fatalities related to speeding and drunken driving have claimed nearly 40 lives so far this year in the San Fernando Valley, an increase compared with the same time last year, he said.
The driver didn’t appear to have been drinking, Bert said.
Even with better made cars that absorb impacts, improved seat belts and more laws to curb dangerous driving, Bert said speeding, drinking and driving, and cellphones all work against safety.
“What I’ve seen in the last 16 years is that speeding is a big factor,” Bert said. “As the father of four daughters ... this is a tragedy.”
Residents who live in the area say speeding is nothing new, especially down the steep hills of Califa Street.
Others said the driver was a habitual speeder.
“They were nice people, but the dad liked to speed,” said a resident who only gave her name as Dana.
“In this area, there are a lot of older people who like to walk, and it’s scary,” said area resident Mojgan Mesrinejad. “Maybe if they installed speed bumps it would help.”
Copyright 2012 Tower Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved