02.03.06 Speeding Nissan 300ZX Crashes Into Health Clinic Injuring 13 People In Los Angeles 
 

Crash at Los Angeles clinic injures 13 Six people in critical condition, fire officials say

Friday, February 3, 2006; Posted: 9:48 p.m. EST (02:48 GMT)

Police work the scene where a car crashed into a health clinic filled with patients Friday.

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- A car racing another vehicle through the streets at up to 90 mph veered out of control and crashed through the front doors of a health clinic Friday, injuring 13 people, six of them critically, authorities said.

Emergency workers rushed to treat the victims in a chaotic scene of gore, screams and shattered glass, with the black Nissan 300 ZX still inside the clinic.

"You just saw bones and blood all over," said Ana Rodriguez, a medical assistant at a clinic across the street.

Dr. Amani Eldessouky, who works across the street, said she saw a woman whose legs had been severed, another woman who lost one leg and a man bleeding profusely from the head. "It was a terrible scene. I wanted to start shaking," Eldessouky said.

Witnesses said the Nissan and a Lincoln Town Car were racing through a South Los Angeles business district when the Lincoln clipped the Nissan, sending it off course, police Lt. Paul Vernon said. The Lincoln drove off.

The driver of the Nissan, Ijumaa Owens, 33, of Los Angeles, was taken into custody and could face reckless driving charges, or vehicular manslaughter if anyone dies, Vernon said. The occupants of the Lincoln were wanted for hit-and-run, he added.

A deputy police chief initially said Owens appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or narcotics, but Vernon later said that did not appear to be the case.

Owens' mother told KABC-TV in an off-camera interview that her son denied to her that he was racing or driving under the influence.

Ten of the injured, including two children, were taken to hospitals. Two of those victims were released later Friday.

Six victims were in critical condition, said Fire Department Assistant Chief Ralph Terrazas.

 

Racing Car Crashes Into LA medical clinic, injuring 13 people

JACOB ADELMANA ssociated Press

LOS ANGELES - A car racing at speeds up to 90 mph through a South Los Angeles business district crashed into a health clinic filled with patients Friday, injuring 13 people - a half-dozen critically, authorities said. According to police, the black Nissan ZX was racing erratically with a white Lincoln Town Car when the two collided, sending the Nissan hurtling into the entrance of the first-floor clinic. The Lincoln drove off.
 

The midmorning crash left behind a chaotic scene of shrieking people, shattered glass and confusion. Dozens of firefighters and police rushed to the scene, and victims were treated on the street outside. The Nissan came to rest within the clinic, its tail lights and trunk visible from the street.
 

Amani Eldessouky, a doctor who works in a clinic across the street, said she saw a woman whose legs had been severed, another woman who lost one leg, and a man bleeding profusely from the head.
"It was a terrible scene. I wanted to start shaking," Eldessouky said. Ten of the injured, including two children, were taken to five hospitals. Six victims were in critical condition, said Fire Department Assistant Chief Ralph Terrazas.
Three others were treated and released. "You just saw bones and blood all over," said Ana Rodriguez, a medical assistant at the other clinic.
 

Authorities said the driver of the Nissan, Ijumaa Owens, 33, of Los Angeles, was not believed to be under the influence of alcohol or narcotics, said police Lt. Paul Vernon. Owens was taken into custody. A deputy police chief initially had said there was involvement of alcohol or narcotics or both.Vernon said the Nissan driver could face felony reckless driving charges, at least, and vehicular manslaughter if any of the victims died. The occupants of the Town Car were being sought for felony hit and run, he said.
 

Police said witnesses saw the two cars racing south on Vermont Avenue, the Town Car in the outermost of three lanes and the Nissan in the lane nearest the curb, when both tried to move into the middle lane.

"At that point the Lincoln Town Car clipped into the Nissan; the Nissan veered into this medical clinic," Vernon said.
About 50 firefighters responded to the crash, treating victims in a triage area set up on the street outside the three-story building, which has apartments on the floors above the clinic.
 

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