A tragic incident unfolded at a Los Angeles car dealership on Wednesday morning when an elderly woman mistakenly pressed the gas pedal instead of the brake, propelling her vehicle into the dealership’s customer reception area. The unfortunate event, which took place around 9:10 a.m. at Hammer Toyota in the Missions Hills district, resulted in one fatality.
The woman, whose car displayed handicap license plates, inadvertently accelerated her vehicle into the building. The Los Angeles Fire Department reported that a 56-year-old woman was briefly pinned under the car before being rescued by bystanders. Despite immediate CPR efforts by a nurse present at the scene, the woman had no pulse and was not breathing. She was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition, where she was later pronounced dead.
In addition to the fatality, two dealership employees were injured in the crash. One sustained a head injury, but both were described as having non-life-threatening injuries by fire department officials.
The elderly driver of the vehicle was unharmed in the incident and refused transportation to a hospital. She was questioned by police at the scene. While it remains unclear whether she was taken into custody, authorities have indicated that the crash appears to be accidental.
An investigation into the incident is currently underway, as authorities work to piece together the exact sequence of events that led to this tragic accident.