A driver whose wife said he was cut off by another motorist, which forced him to cross into opposing traffic for a half-block-long stretch before crashing outside a busy downtown flower shop, may have fallen asleep at the wheel, according to one report Wednesday.
The crash was reported at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday at 535 E. Eighth St. in the Flower District and seriously injured the driver and a person on the sidewalk, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Five patients were taken to a hospital and one was assessed and released at the scene, the LAFD’s Margaret Stewart said.
A battalion chief at the scene said the driver and a teenaged male suffered serious, but not life-threatening injuries.
The vehicle was stopped by a large tree, which might have prevented further injuries. Video showed the SUV veering into opposing lanes before jumping the curb.
An officer in the LAPD’s Media Relations Division was unable to confirm the KTLA5 report that the driver claimed he was cut off, but said he might have fallen asleep at the wheel.
The officer said there was no evidence of intoxicated driving.
The driver suffered a broken pelvis and the teen a broken foot, KTLA5 reported.
The LAPD’s Central Traffic Division was investigating the crash.