Driver, Ejected Infant in Critical Condition After 2-Vehicle Traffic Collision

Arleta, Los Angeles, CA: One adult was briefly trapped and an infant ejected from a vehicle involved in a traffic collision with a Toyota Camry Sunday, Sept. 18, around 8:50 p.m. on the 13900 block of West Terra Bella Street in the Arleta neighborhood of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley.

Sgt. Rich Brunson with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Valley Traffic Division spoke with media at the scene and reported preliminary information regarding the collision.

Brunson said both vehicles were traveling westbound on Terra Bella. The vehicle containing the small infant child appeared to be negotiating a U-turn from the north curb of Terra Bella – traveling in a westbound direction making a U-turn to go back eastbound. It was at that point a black Toyota Camry traveling westbound in the #1 lane of Terra Bella collided with the vehicle, impacting the middle of the car. The impact between those two vehicles caused the infant to become ejected from the vehicle.

The cause of the ejection is still under investigation. There was a child seat in the vehicle, but it has not been determined whether the child was properly restrained in that car seat, according to Brunson.

Brunson reported that approximately three people were transported from the silver BMW, all to Northridge Hospital. The driver is in critical condition, and so is the infant child with some type of head injury.

The one driver that remained at the scene was subjected to a field sobriety test, and voluntarily submitted to an alcohol screening test – registering zeros on the device, according to Brunson.

Brunson said it does not appear that speed was a factor at this time, but “we will be conducting calculations on the physical evidence at the scene.”

Only the infant was ejected, the other two occupants remained inside the vehicle.

Brunson stated that the fire department did have to use the Jaws of Life to open the drivers side door where the male driver was trapped inside the vehicle.

“The investigation is ongoing … the facts and circumstances could change as we talk to more witnesses and evaluate more physical evidence,” said Brunson.

Brunson ended his update by stating, “There are no arrests at this time, however, there could be for child endangerment if we determine if that infant child was not properly restrained in the vehicle and that the parents were negligent in doing that.”

Keith Johnson, Video Journalist / KNN