A speeding driver Wednesday morning was arrested shortly after causing a four-car pileup at a busy intersection that left one woman dead and two others injured. The accident ocurred at around 11:15AM at Carson St. and Clark Ave. when 21 year-old Mario Palafox’s 1992 Lexus slammed into three vehicles waiting in the left turn lane on westbound Carson.
“The suspect vehicle first collided with a 1985 Toyota Supra, forcing that vehicle forward into a 2005 Scion TC, and that vehicle into a 2007 Ford Mustang,” the Long Beach Police Department said in a statement.
The Toyota crumpled from the force of the impact and the female driver–who has been identified as 47-year-old Elane Logay of Long Beach–was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to witnesses, Palafox’s car spun across the intersection and ended up in the middle of Clark Ave.; when witnesses approached to help, the suspect got out of his car and fled the scene on foot. He was eventually located by LBPD officers on the LBCC campus and has been arrested for vehicular homicide, felony hit and run and being unlicensed driver. Initial reports indicated that he may have been intoxicated, but police could not confirm that.
The driver of the Scion was transported to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries and the driver of the Mustang was treated at the scene and released. Palafox was also transported to a local hospital with moderate injuries.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Long Beach Police Department Collision Investigations Detective David Lauro at (562) 570-7355.
{FG_GEOMAP [33.8323679,-118.13385390000002] FG_GEOMAP}