On Monday, May 26, 2008 at 5:56 PM, 10 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 14 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 3 EMS Battalion Captains, 2 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams and 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, a total of 87 Los Angeles Fire Department personnel under the direction of Assistant Chief Jeffery S. Mottram, responded to a Multi-Fatality Traffic Collision at the intersection of Crenshaw Boulevard and Florence Avenue in the Hyde Park area of Los Angeles.
Firefighters responded quickly to discover at least six vehicles involved in a traffic collision in which three - a minivan, sport utility vehicle and sedan were ablaze.
Firefighters quickly doused the flames to find the burned remains of two persons in one vehicle, while their colleagues sought to care for a preteen male who had been pulled or ejected from another.
The three proved to be beyond medical help, and were pronounced dead at the scene.
Firefighters swiftly and efficiently triaged 18 additional persons, providing prompt transport to 5 in need of immediate care, including some in grave condition who are reported to have later died at area hospitals.
Nine additional patients with non-life threatening injuries, were among those taken to five area hospitals, while 4 persons declined treatment and transportation at the scene.
The collision is under formal investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department's South Traffic Division, working closely with the Coroner's Office, which will seek to positively identify the deceased and determine the precise cause, time and manner of their death.
Text by Brian Humphrey/LAFD
photos by Mike Meadows/Flikr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lafd/2527143930/
