photo courtesy of CBS News/Screenshot
Nicole Lorraine Linton, 37, was identified and charged with vehicular manslaughter for causing a multi-car crash on August 4 in Los Angeles. The horrible crash killed five people, including a baby and a pregnant woman.
Linton was identified, according to the L.A.Times, after being hospitalized following the crash. The California Highway Patrol said that the registered nurse drove a Mercedes sedan through a red light and hit several other cars in Windsor Hills of Downtown Los Angeles. The L.A. District Attorney’s Office released a statement on Twitter after the incident.
“Our office is in close contact with the lead law enforcement agency investigating. A prosecutor has already been assigned and will be working with law enforcement throughout the weekend. We will provide updates as more information becomes available. The case could be presented to us as early as Monday.” The office said after sending well wishes out to the families of the victims, “the loss of so many precious lives will have a lasting impact on those that are closest to them,”
The crash was caught on a security video from a nearby gas station. The horrific video shows vehicles consumed by flames and several people being ejected from cars.
The Washington Examiner released medical examiner reports identifying both a pregnant woman and her unborn child, as well as a baby boy who was thrown from the car. While eight other people were injured, a witness to the crash, Veronica Esquivel, recounted the terrifying sight of seeing a baby thrown from a vehicle.
“All of the sudden, a baby literally flew from the middle of the intersection to the middle of the gas station and landed right on the floor in front of me,” Esquival said. “One of the workers came and saw me with the baby and took the baby out of my hands. Somebody tried to resuscitate the baby, but the baby was gone.”
Linton is currently being held on a $9 million bond.