A FedEx truck hit and killed one person, while at least two others were injured Wednesday in a six-vehicle collision in Cerritos, authorities and eyewitnesses said. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Cerritos station said the multicar accident was reported at 9:08 a.m. on Bloomfield Avenue and South Street.
According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, one person died at the scene and another was taken to the hospital with injuries.
At least two individuals were injured in the accident, according to Fire Department spokesperson Geovanni Sanchez. According to FedEx driver Cesar Alarcon, he was stopped at a red light when the collision occurred. “I froze for a second,” the 16-year FedEx employee said. “I looked down and saw how everything was twisted,” he added about the wreckage that surrounded him.
The powerful impact of the collision caused a FedEx truck to come to a halt against the barrier on the transit tunnel, its frame bending and a side panel caving in. Packages were scattered about the road next to a crumpled black car, which had sustained minor damage.
“It was an explosion,” said Roxanne Harris, who was driving with her two daughters — ages 15 and 7 — when the accident occurred behind them. “I notice this black smoke in my rearview mirror and debris flying over us as I’m driving,” she said. ”
Abby, who was near the accident scene, said she saw a person trapped in the mangled remains of a Mercedes. First responders were still attempting to remove the guy from his vehicle hours after the incident, according to Abby. According to Alarcon, he also noticed someone who did not appear to be moving trapped inside the vehicle.
I was told that the Mercedes was driving at a high rate of speed — around 80 mph, according to police reports. The collision also caused damage to three other vehicles, as well as a midsize silver SUV.