An expanded traffic collision resulted in three people pronounced dead at the scene and two others in critical condition on San Francisquito Canyon Road Sunday, according to firefighters.
According to Robert Diaz, Los Angeles County Fire Department dispatcher, three people were pronounced dead on arrival and two others were critically injured and transferred to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital via ambulance.
The Fire Department received a call for an expanded traffic collision with multiple patients at approximately 4:10 p.m. at San Francisquito Canyon Road and Riverview Road in Saugus.
The traffic collision also resulted in one of the vehicles catching fire, but firefighters were able to knock down the fire at approximately 4:37 p.m.
According to CHP Officer Patrick Kimball, CHP officers were on the scene of the traffic collision as well and provided traffic management. CHP officers shut down San Francisquito Canyon Road as emergency personnel assisted and worked at the scene.
Kimball said CHP officers redirected traffic near Quail Trail and Lady Linda Lane.
A Valencia resident said she was driving up San Francisquito Road with her 2-year-old to see her parents when the crash occurred right in front of her. The resident asked to be unnamed as she did not want further attention while she processed the experience.
“I was driving behind the blue pickup truck, and the speed limit on San Francisquito Road, I believe, is 55 mph. He was driving about 45 mph, so under the speed limit,” the eyewitness said. “The white BMW comes probably at about 90 mph straight into the pickup truck.”
“It happened literally in the blink of an eye. The BMW wasn’t swerving at all and he went straight into the pickup truck. I’m assuming he lost control because he was driving so fast.”
According to the eyewitness, she was able to swerve off the road and not hit the cars involved in the head-on collision because she was driving as slow as she was.
“There were flames instantly, and it was just horrible,” she said. “I’m definitely shaken up right now. Three people died, two are in critical condition. I had my 2-year-old in my car. If I had passed the blue car, it would have been me. It’s just devastating to see people lose their lives today, and it could have been avoidable.”
Her family lives on a property off San Francisquito Road, she added, and they’ve witnessed multiple deadly car collisions.
“We see people driving way past the speed limit and almost never see anyone get pulled over,” she said. “Enough is enough because it’s just risking people’s lives at this point.”
This is a breaking news story and additional information will be added as it becomes available.
