1 dead, 1 critical after crash hits trees, Panda Express in L.A.

Cars crashed into a tree and commercial building in Lake Balboa Tuesday morning, trapping two people and killing one of them.

The crash occurred in the 17300 block of Saticoy Street at about 9:45 a.m., according to Officer Cuellar of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Though the Los Angeles Fire Department initially described the crash as a “solo sedan vs. tree/commercial building,” officials later confirmed that two vehicles were involved, something confirmed by police and footage from the scene shared to the Citizen app.

Footage from the scene shows a white Toyota Tacoma pickup truck hit the building while the compact car came to rest on the sidewalk and in the roadway near a line of trees.

While fire officials initially said both people were trapped in the car, they clarified in an update that the person who died at the scene, an adult man, was the driver of the pickup truck.

The other driver, an adult woman who was “the sole occupant” of what firefighters now say is a coupe, was taken to a regional trauma center in critical condition.

While damage to the building was only superficial, a natural gas meter was damaged, and the LAFD stopped a gas leak.

Footage from Citizen shows that the commercial building contained a Panda Express restaurant, and the LAFD confirmed that the “damaged business was a restaurant and therefore requires health department clearance.”

SoCalGas, the L.A. Department of Building and Safety, and the L.A. County Department of Public Health also responded to the crash scene, fire officials said.

At least one lane of northbound Louise Avenue near the intersection with Saticoy Street was closed and is expected to remain that way until the on-scene investigation is complete.

“Though there was rain in the area this morning, the specific cause of – and any factors related to the collision, will be formally determined by LAPD Valley Traffic Division investigators,” firefighters said.

Sofia Pop Perez contributed to this report.