LOS ANGELES, CA – A driver was killed early Thursday in Commerce when a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department SUV responding to an emergency call struck a vehicle that was then pushed into a second vehicle, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
The crash happened at about 1:20 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, at the intersection of South Atlantic Boulevard and Sheila Street, a Sheriff’s Department spokesperson said. The department said the deputy’s emergency lights and siren were activated at the time of the collision.
The driver of the first vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. The deputy was taken to a hospital and was listed in stable condition, while the occupants of the second vehicle were not hurt.
The Sheriff’s Department said the crash remains under investigation.
Deputy was responding to a medical call
According to the Sheriff’s Department, deputies had been sent to a report of a person down and not breathing in neighboring Cudahy. The deputy was heading to that call when the SUV entered the intersection in Commerce.
The spokesperson said the SUV struck a civilian vehicle. The impact sent that vehicle into a second civilian vehicle, so three vehicles were involved in all.
Driver pronounced dead at the scene
The driver of the first vehicle died at the scene, the spokesperson said. The Sheriff’s Department had not released the person’s identity.
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner maintains an online case search where, for public cases, it posts details such as the final cause and manner of death, the assigned investigator and the current status of a case. That is where an identification of the driver would appear once the case is public.
Deputy listed in stable condition
The deputy was transported to a hospital after the crash and was listed in stable condition, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
The Sheriff’s SUV sustained severe front-end damage and its airbags deployed, and the deputy’s injuries were minor, according to initial reports. The occupants of the second civilian vehicle were not injured, the spokesperson said.
Other deputies gave aid at the original call
Other deputies who responded to the original call gave aid to the person reported down until Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel arrived. It was unclear what happened to that person.
Commerce and Cudahy are both served by the Sheriff’s Department. The department’s East Los Angeles Station lists the cities of Commerce, Cudahy and Maywood among the areas it serves.
How emergency responses are governed
The Sheriff’s Department’s Manual of Policy and Procedures includes a section on Code 3 vehicle operation and tactics, which governs how deputies drive during emergency responses of the kind the deputy was making in Commerce.
State law also addresses emergency vehicle driving. California Vehicle Code section 21055 exempts the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle from certain traffic rules when responding to an emergency call, provided the driver sounds a siren as reasonably necessary and the vehicle displays a lighted red lamp visible from the front.
The following section, 21056, says that exemption does not relieve the driver of the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons using the highway.
Serious collisions involving department vehicles
The department’s policy on the Traffic Collision Response Team covers the unit that handles investigations of serious collisions, including those involving department vehicles.
Intersection closed for several hours
The intersection was expected to remain closed for several hours Thursday while investigators worked to determine what led to the crash. Motorists were advised to avoid the area.
The California Office of Traffic Safety’s 2023 crash ranking page for Los Angeles County lists 58,758 total fatal and injury victims in the county that year. It also lists 7,118 collisions during nighttime hours, which the page defines as 9 p.m. to 2:59 a.m.
Investigation remains active
The Sheriff’s Department has said the crash remains under investigation, and the driver who died has not been publicly identified.
