Eight people, including a 3-year-old, were hospitalized Saturday after a driver plowed into pedestrians outside a grocery store in Arlington Heights, first responders said.
The crash was reported at 12:51 p.m. outside Superior Grocery near the intersection of Washington Boulevard and 10th Avenue, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. There, a driver of a silver Honda jumped the curb onto a sidewalk and struck a group of pedestrians, according to the department.
A total of 10 people were assessed at the scene and eight of those individuals — ranging in age from 3 to 60 — were taken to the hospital. Officials say none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening.
“Two of those patients were immediately trapped,” LAFD Battalion Chief Kenneth Cook said. “The LAFD did not rescue them. They were unpinned by the occupants that were standing around here.”
A man who asked not to be identified said his father was among those hit.
“I quickly went in and pulled him out,” he said. “I sat down to quickly assess him a little bit, making sure he can still move his toes and everything like that. I elevated his arm because, unfortunately, he was bleeding from his arm, and he did have a contusion on his forehead. But as of now, he’s currently in the ER. He’s stable.”
The Los Angeles Police Department arrested the driver, described as a 60-year-old man, who told officers he believed his brakes may have failed, causing him to lose control. He was charged with misdemeanor reckless driving with injury, according to police.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation. The LAPD does not believe drugs or alcohol were a factor in the crash.