WEST HOLLYWOOD—Six people were injured, with three being listed in critical condition after a DUI driver slammed into an Uber car on Monday, January 1.
The incident occurred at around 6 a.m., when the driver of a Mercedes SUV, sped through a stop sign at the intersection near the 7400 block of W. Melrose Avenue. The man’s car slammed into the side of a Prius, sending the vehicle and the victims inside careening into a nearby sports apparel shop. The driver of the Prius was working as an Uber driver at the time.
After the crash, good Samaritans rushed to help the victims in the Prius. Two of them, tow truck drivers, found the SUV driver and helped him out of his own vehicle. In an interview with ABC 7, Dovi Levin, one of the truck drivers, explained that initially the drunk driver claimed that his wife was still trapped in the SUV. After breaking through the shattered glass and searching the car, Levin found the vehicle empty.
According to reports, the driver who caused the crash attempted to flee the scene. Two good Samaritans chased him, tackled him to the ground and held him until authorities arrived.
“He kept saying the same thing over and over and over, like, ‘I didn’t mean to do this to you. This wasn’t against you. I just want you to know I wasn’t trying to hurt you,’” Levin said in the interview. “But to run away from the scene of the accident? I mean that’s just cowardice.”
All the victims injured were adults; three women and three men who ranged in age from their 20s to early 30s. The Uber driver and the drunk driver suffered serious injuries. Firefighters inspected the sports apparel shop that had been struck. The store, Fampion X, will be closed to the public as a result of the crash.
Witnesses reported seeing the suspect racing down N. Vista Street before the accident. The SUV driver is believed to have sideswiped some cars on nearby streets and may have been involved in a hit-and-run near Magic Castle as well. The driver is facing multiple charges, including a felony DUI charge.
