Thanksgiving Celebrations turned into Mourning as DUI and Speeding Incidents Increased
“In 28 years, this is the worst Thanksgiving I’ve ever seen,” expressed Detective Ryan Moreno of the LAPD South Traffic Division.
This Thanksgiving witnessed an increased number of deaths as more drivers were behind the wheel under the influence or speeding in South Los Angeles.
A recent accident took the lives of three passersby who were hit by a drunk driver. An 8-year-old child is fighting for his life in the hospital. The death toll may rise taking the total casualties to 10 for the last two weeks in the LAPD South Traffic Division.
The first fatal accident happened in Harbour Gateway, close to the intersection of 18th Street and Figueroa, at around 5:30 in the morning.
A car speeding over 100 mph struck a car carrying three passengers. The collision resulted in the unfortunate demise of a 24-year-old single mother.
“A young mother of a 5-year-old son, a single mother… that was a tough thing yesterday, was knowing that this little boy, his mom, was not going to come home,” Moreno said.
Another accident occurred shortly after 1 p.m. when a suspected drunk driver struck a speeding driver on Western Avenue near 83rd Street after pulling out of a liquor store. The speeding driver then crashed the car claiming the life of 26-year-old Alma Letecia Aragon. She was walking with her daughter who is brain-dead after the accident.
Then, 10 blocks away on Western and 73rd, after 11 p.m., detectives were called to a marijuana-high speeding driver who had struck and killed an elderly homeless man.
The LAPD advises people to plan ahead, drive sober, and slow down during this holiday season. They are also investigating the possibility of using license plate reading cameras to catch these drivers.
