2 Good Samaritans die helping out at car crash scene
Women were electrocuted when live wires fell into water
Two Los Angeles Good Samaritans were killed Wednesday after suffering electrical shocks while trying to help a driver stuck inside an SUV that barreled into a fire hydrant and power pole.
The crash exposed water to live wires. A fire spokesman said the two responders, including six others, were shocked as they tried to help other victims after the Wednesday night crash in the San Fernando Valley.
"I saw a lady come out of nowhere," Christie Vergini, who witnessed the crash, told MyFoxLA.com. "She walked, stepped in the water, fell back on her back with her arms straight out."
She said another woman who appeared to be coming to the aid of the first one also appeared to have been electrocuted.
"Everyone was panicking because they couldn't help the woman on the ground because of the live wire," said Liz Casmier, another witness. "It was obvious that she needed aid."
KTLA.com reported that one of the victims was a woman who lived near the crash scene and who ran from her home to help the driver. The station reported that another victim was driving past with her husband, who stopped the car to help.
The driver of the SUV was attempting to round a corner as he drove on Magnolia Boulevard at 8:30 p.m., lost control, and hit the hydrant and pole before coming to rest on the front lawn of a home, where several people rushed to help.
The driver told a witness that the breaks on the vehicle went out, but another witness told MyFoxLA.com that she heard the screech of breaks for about five seconds. Investigators told KTLA that excessive speed was likely a factor in the crash.
The six survivors had minor injuries. Five were hospitalized.
Firefighters worked to treat the injured and shut down the water and power with help from city workers.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report
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