Fatal Traffic Collision in Downtown

Los Angeles: A man was killed after he lost control and drove head-on into the front of a semi tractor-trailer on 6th Street.

On June 5, 2009, at around 1:40 p.m., Jaime Lara, the 25 year-old driver and resident of Los Angeles, was driving a Nissan 350Z westbound on 6th Street, just east of Mateo Street in the Downtown area.  The driver lost control of his vehicle and crossed the center line. The vehicle collided head-on into a tractor-trailer traveling eastbound on 6th Street.

Upon impact, the victim was ejected from the vehicle and the passenger, a male in his early 20’s was trapped inside the vehicle.  The vehicle erupted into flames and several witnesses acted quickly to remove the unconscious passenger and extinguish the flames.

Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters and paramedics responded to the scene and pronounced the victim dead at scene.  The passenger was transported to a local hospital and was listed in critical condition.  The driver of the tractor-trailer was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital.

The preliminary investigation revealed that the driver of the Nissan was traveling at approximately 90 mile per hour just before the impact. It is unknown whether drugs or alcohol were involved and the collision is still under investigation.

Central Traffic Detective Section, Detective Felix Padilla and Detective Josephine Mapson are conducting the follow-up investigation and can be reached at 213-972-1825.