Residents and businesses emptied on North Larchmont Boulevard this morning at approximately 11 am as two vehicles collided in the intersection at Rosewood, resulting in a loud crash and the flipping of a red pickup truck whose driver fled the scene.
No one was seriously injured in the hit-and-run accident. The LA Fire Department Station 52 on Melrose responded in about three minutes to the accident, as people nearby rushed to the vehicles to see if anyone was hurt and needed assistance. LAPD showed up within 10 minutes.
“The red pick-up appears to have run a red signal light on Larchmont Blvd, and hit a Toyota Tacoma that had the green, crossing on Rosewood,” Marc Sinnott of Hancock Homes Realty, with offices on that corner, told the Larchmont Buzz. “It appears to have been a gardening truck – there were things splayed all over the street – watering cans, fertilizer, tools and broken glass. The woman who was in the car that was hit came into our office to sit down.”
Other unconfirmed reports said the hit-and-run driver was believed to be Hispanic, to have fled on foot, and was wearing shorts and a purple shirt.The Tacoma appears to be totaled and there must have been some speed involved for the red truck to have slid or rolled its way well down the block.
An LAFD spokesperson told the Larchmont Buzz that no one was transported to the hospital as injuries to those present were minor. Â The LAPD could not be reached for comment, but it is believed they are searching for the missing driver involved in the accident, which is under investigation. Anyone who may have seen the “hit and split” driver should contact the LAPD’s West Traffic Division at 213-473-0222.
Los Angeles will soon be offering rewards for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of hit-and-run drivers: from a top reward of $50,000 for accidents when someone is killed, to $1,000 for crashes when only property is damaged. Information on a hit-and-run incidents will be sent out to the public beginning this spring via Facebook, Twitter and Nixle and sent to bus and taxi drivers via their dispatch systems, according to a report in the LA Times this week.
Some 20,000 hit-and-run collisions occur in Los Angeles every year, and the incidence of accidents involving cyclists and hit-and-run drivers has risen 42% between 2002 and 2012.
