An SUV accident in the Hollywood Hills on Monday, May 25th, near Crescent Drive killed an unidentified man in his 70s and a woman in her 20s, while critically injuring the driver of the vehicle, a woman in her 40’s according to an article in The L.A. Times.
Two people died and three others were critically injured in the wreck as a Range Rover sport-utility vehicle went off the narrow canyon road, rolled down the slope before stopping against the carport of a home. By the time the vehicle landed upside-down it had crashed into a house in the 8700 block of Duncamp Place, near Lookout Mountain Avenue and had injured the SUV’s driver, a woman in her 40s, the news report said. A toddler and another passenger suffered moderate injuries.
Los Angeles Police Capt. Nancy Lauer stated that the accident happened as the driver lost control after hitting a huge pothole. Fortunately, the child was properly restrained in a car seat, without which the child probably would have been ejected from the SUV as well. A torn sunroof helped the injured victims find a way out of the vehicle.
My condolences to the families of the auto accident victims and I wish the injured a fast and complete recovery. It appears that the condition of the road was a significant contributing factor to this accident. If that is a fact, the injured could hold the city liable for their injuries. I’d also be very interested to see what an unbiased investigation finds about the condition of the car’s roof. Range Rovers has been sued in the past for the roofs of their vehicles being weak and caving in during roll over accidents. This may be a case of a weak or defectively manufactured roof causing serious injury in an SUV rollover accident.
It would be in the best interest of the victims and their families to consult with an experienced California Personal Injury Attorney who has a successful track record in handling serious car accident cases, roadway maintenance cases against governmental agencies and product liability cases, specifically roof crush cases against auto makers. Time is of the essence in investigating this accident and photos of the scene and the pothole need to be taken immediately. The Range Rover needs to be kept, without repair or alteration, for evidence. Claims against governmental agencies need to be properly made WITHIN 180 days of injury.