A woman and 5-year-old boy died were killed in a two-car crash Thursday night in Van Nuys, authorities said.
The head-on crash was reported around 9:35 p.m. on the 6400 block of N. Woodley Avenue, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. A member of the Los Angeles Police Department had to perform chest compressions on the child at the scene, but he later died at a hospital.
Four other adults were injured in the crash.
A white Honda Accord was heading north on Woodley Avenue when it crossed into the southbound lanes and slammed head-on with a gray Honda Civic, police said.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
The deceased woman in her 60s and the 5-year-old boy were in the Civic. The Civic driver, a man in his 30s, and a 27-year-old woman in the car suffered minor injuries,
The Accord driver, a man in his 30s, was hospitalized in critical condition. The passenger, a woman in her 30s, suffered moderate injuries.
Witness Marvin Ordóñez said a group of people was drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana before a driver sped off in one of the cars. That driver didn't notice the other car coming up on the left side and struck it, according to Ordóñez.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
NBC4’s NewsChopper4 helicopter showed the aftermath of the crash as first responders wheeled people away on gurneys. A white sheet covered the deceased on the ground nearby.
Meanwhile, two sedans both appeared to have front-end damage.
Ordóñez said it's common for people to drink alcohol and smoke pot at Woodley Park, across the street from the crash. He added that police don't show up when people call to complain about the problem.
