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2 Women Fatally Electrocuted Helping Out at Car Crash Scene
The accident scene (Photo courtesy LAFD/Flickr)
A solo vehicle car crash Wednesday night in Valley Village ended tragically for two women who tried to come to the aid of the victim.
The accident involved a man who crashed his white SUV at around 8:30 p.m. on the 12000 block of Magnolia Boulevard, shearing a fire hydrant and street light pole, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The SUV came to a stop on the lawn of a home, and the fire hydrant was shooting water into the sky, and the water was pooling on the sidewalk. The LAFD explains:
Underneath the vehicle was an old fashioned concrete light standard, leaving behind electrical wires sticking out of the ground. The wires were disguised by darkness, running water, and the commotion of a growing crowd.
Among those at the scene were two women who were hoping to help out, according to CBS2, who were fatally electrocuted in the process:
“One of those victims was a neighbor. She was a resident who lived very close by. Maybe across the street. The other, as I understand it, was a husband and wife traveling in the same direction of the vehicle, and they came out to help the first lady who went down. They attempted to rescue the first woman. And in the process, she too, was electrocuted,” LAPD Capt. Peter Whittingham said.
The women sustained their electrocutions when they "stepped into water that was unknowingly energized," explains the LAFD.
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Others at the scene also stepped in the water and were hurt. A total of six people were injured at the scene, in addition to the two fatalities. The driver of the SUV was not electrocuted in the accident.
The crash is being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Traffic Division, notes City News Service.
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