Five people were injured, two critically, early Tuesday morning in a suspected DUI crash involving multiple vehicles in Van Nuys, authorities said.
The four-vehicle crash happened about midnight at the intersection of Victory and Van Nuys boulevards (map), said Sgt. Jodie McGee of the Los Angeles Police Department.
A 19-year-old driver and 15-year-old passenger were traveling southbound on Van Nuys in a white Volkswagen Passat when it ran a red light and collided with a dark-colored Chevy Trailblazer SUV that had two female occupants, the sergeant said.
The impact of the collision caused the Trailblazer to overturn; it landed on the hood of the Passat and against a white minivan. Police said the minivan was driven by a 20-year-old woman and had stopped at the intersection before it was struck. A fourth vehicle was also hit.
Five people were transported to hospitals, the LAPD said. Two were in critical condition. The conditions of the three other victims were not immediately known.
A preliminary sobriety test was administered to the Passat’s driver, who was apparently under the influence of alcohol, the Police Department said.
“We have an officer with him at the hospital,” McGee said. Referring to California’s legal minimum drinking age, he added: “As you know, a 19-year-old can have zero alcohol level in his system.”