The Signal reports that on August 11, 911 dispatch received reports of a traffic collision in the northbound lanes of the 5 Freeway, south of Balboa Boulevard.
According to a statement from Officer Josh Greengard with the California Highway Patrol’s Newhall Area Office, first responders and officers with the CHP also received reports of a two-year-old child at the scene who was not breathing.
“Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) units were first on the scene and provided medical care for the toddler until Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD) personnel arrived and took over medical care,” Officer Greengard said.
Paramedics transported the child to Northridge Hospital Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. The child clung to life until Wednesday, August 16.
Investigators say that the crash happened when 31-year-old Christian Bedolla of Stevenson Ranch was driving at an unsafe speed in his Ford Focus. Bedolla rear-ended a Ford Expedition, causing its driver to lose control of the vehicle. The Expedition collided with a guard rail and concrete pillar beneath Balboa Boulevard.
Bedolla was arrested on suspicion of DUI and booked into the Los Angeles Police Department’s Van Nuys Jail.
The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office will likely add charges for Bedolla pending a report from the CHP that reflects the child’s death.
