Sloth Linked to Crash That Killed 3 Teens

Scott en Aztlán wrote: <archived/snips restored>
> Here we have a confirmed case of Sloth Kills. A driver swerved to
> avoid hitting a slower vehicle, lost control, and crashed into a tree,
> killing 3 people.
>
> http://ktla.trb.com/news/ktla-losfel...ll=ktla-news-1
>

Speed Linked to Crash That Killed 3 Teens
Associated Press December 20, 2006, 6:20 PM PST

Three 18-year-old men were killed today and two teens were critically
injured when the car they were in crashed into a tree and burst into
flames as some of their parents watched from another vehicle, police
said.

The mid-size sedan carrying the five young people plowed into the large
tree at 4860 W. Los Feliz Blvd. at 1 a.m., trapping the driver and
front passenger inside the burning wreck, said Los Angeles Fire
Department spokesman Brian Humphrey.

The father of one of the car's occupants suffered smoke inhalation
trying to pull the victims from the burning car and eventually had to
be restrained by police officers for his own safety, said Sgt. Michael
Johnson of the Los Angeles Police Department's Central Traffic
Division.

"My officers actually had to stop the father from trying to attempt to
get the front passengers out because there was no way they could be
removed from the vehicle," Johnson said.

Killed were Matthew Nicolas Hernandez, 18 of Fontana, the driver of the
2000 Nissan Maxima; Matthew Annabel Sonora-Merrill, 18 of Los Angeles,
his front-seat passenger; and Sean Paul Blaney, 18, of Glendale.

Blaney was riding in the back seat along with two boys, ages 14 and 15,
according to police.

Johnson said the engine was pushed so far into the passenger
compartment it was impossible to remove the occupants.

The 59-year-old father suffered smoke inhalation during his struggle to
save the trapped victims and was taken to Hollywood Presbyterian
Medical Center in fair condition, according to Humphrey.

The people in both cars were on their way home from a teenager's
birthday party. They were heading east on Los Feliz Boulevard when
Hernandez changed lanes in an attempt to pass the parents' vehicle at a
high rate of speed, police said.

As the Nissan pulled alongside the car with adults, the sedan with the
five youths came upon a slow-moving vehicle, and the driver swerved to
avoid hitting it, Johnson said. The car then struck a tree and burst
into flames.

"The other vehicle stopped, and the father and the young lady driving
that vehicle both ran back to this vehicle," Johnson said. "The one
person who was removed from this vehicle and on the ground, they pulled
out while the car was on fire."

The two surviving occupants were rushed to hospitals in critical
condition, Humphrey said.

"I would characterize their injuries as life-threatening," Humphrey
said.

Authorities were looking to see if, besides speeding, alcohol was a
factor in the wreck.

Hernandez worked as an intern for Los Angeles City Councilman Ed Reyes
since summer, helping coordinate various events, including a youth
conference for the Los Angeles River that was held at the Convention
Center.

"It is with a heavy heart that I say that Matthew Nicholas Hernandez
was one of my interns," Reyes said as his voice cracked. "It's a shame
their lives had to be taken this way. He brought a lot of cheer to our
office."

Reyes aide Monica Valencia referred to Hernandez as a "cute kid with
spiky hair."

"He was always offering his help to everyone around the office,"
Valencia said. "He was someone you could see going really far in his
career and education. He was definitely too young to go."

A counselor has been brought in to Reyes' office to speak with
employees, Valencia said.

Merrill, a freshman at Pasadena City College, was an incoming pitcher
for the school's baseball team, with the season set to start next
month, according to Robert Lewis, a spokesman for the college's
Athletic Department.

"It's a real tragic situation," Lewis said. "Anytime a student athlete
passes away in a horrific accident, it's a tough thing for everyone
involved, and we send our condolences to his family."

Christopher Mesa told reporters that "they were really good guys" and
that Merrill "was a really good pitcher who was going to go to the
pros. I loved them. They were my family."

Wayne Matewsky, identified as a city councilman from the Boston area,
said he was visiting his sister in the Southland and came outside to
help the crash victims.

"It was a horror show," Matewsky told reporters. "I've never seen
anything so nightmarish in my life.

"I heard a crash," Matewsky said. "I left my sister's house -- I'm
visiting for the holidays -- and this car was smashed into a huge tree
over here.

"I helped pull out three of the victims, one who passed away minutes
later," Matewsky said. "As I pulled him out, he said, `I think I broke
my leg.' And ... he died on the grass, minutes later ... It was a
nightmare."

Matewsky said he and neighbors tried to douse the flames with water
from a garden hose and buckets before firefighters arrived.

Some relatives and friends gathered at the crash scene. One said,
"We're really devastated ... they were so young."
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- gpsman