2 Pedestrians Killed In Separate Crashes In Gardena, 1 Hit & Run

GARDENA, CA — Two pedestrians were struck, one fatally, by a vehicle whose driver fled the scene in Gardena Sunday -- hours after a separate fatal accident involving a pedestrian in a different part of the city, authorities said.

The Gardena Police Department received a report of an accident at about 10:30 a.m. at the intersection of Marine and Budlong Avenues, police said. Upon arrival, officers found two pedestrians on the roadway.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department arrived to render aid and one pedestrian was rushed to a hospital, but the other victim was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
The victim's identity was being withheld pending notification to next of kin. According to a report from ABC7, one of the victims was a child, but it was not clear if that was the person who died.

"A preliminary investigation revealed an unknown driver was traveling eastbound on Marine Ave approaching Budlong Ave. The driver turned north on Budlong Ave. colliding with both pedestrians in the crosswalk. The driver then fled the scene," police said.

Earlier, at 3:54 a.m. Sunday, police received a call of a traffic collision involving a pedestrian and a vehicle at the intersection of Vermont Avenue and El Segundo Boulevard.

Officers found the pedestrian on the roadway. She was rushed to a hospital, where she received treatment but was pronounced dead.

Police said a preliminary investigation revealed a female driver was traveling south on Vermont passing the intersection when she struck the pedestrian, who was on Vermont.

The driver remained on the scene and waited for police and fire department personnel to arrive.

Anyone who witnessed either accident was asked to call Investigator Jose Zamudio at 310-217-6189, or Sgt. Daniel Guzzo at 310-217-6122.