By Aidan Krause
Staff Writer
Back-to-back accidents occurred in the Chatsworth neighborhood in Los Angeles on Sept. 15, the first being a bus crash caused by an SUV driver swerving into the wrong lane, blowing through a red light, and ultimately hitting a LA City Bus, according to The Associated Press.
The driver, Bailee Lynn Rios, was driving under the influence, and drugs were found in her SUV after the wreck; she is currently hospitalized awaiting trial.
Rios has prior criminal cases of drug possession, speeding, and burglary. Rios's uncle reported that she has been battling drug addiction for the last 15 years, The New York Post reported.
After the crash, six people were rushed to the hospital, and two more people were pronounced dead at the scene; among those injured were bystanders to the crash.
In addition to charges of reckless driving and driving while under the influence, Lynn Rios will be facing two counts of second-degree murder and looking at a maximum of life in prison, according to NBC News.
Cindy Rios, the mother of Bailee Lynn Rios, told The Associated Press in an interview that “If anything, I’m sorry for the other families ... My daughter’s alive. People lost their lives.” Lynn Rios's bail is set at $4 million.
Another crash, which occurred roughly two hours after the SUV crash, involved a news helicopter that was providing coverage of the scene for NC4 and Telemundo 52, according to The New York Times.
The initial crash and resulting fire killed three people and damaged several cars and shipping containers between two commercial buildings.
Among those killed was a pedestrian, Edy Gutierrez Mejia, who was in a parking lot near the crash site and was from Guatemala, the country's consulate reported, according to The Associated Press.
The cause of the crash is unknown, while the helicopter's last recording only provides a beeping noise and a woman's voice saying “uh oh” and “you can’t pull up?” Both the pilot, George Maciniw and reporter Eliana Moreno were killed during the crash, The Associated Press reported.
“The alarm suggests a potential loss of engine power and a dangerous decrease in the main rotor speed,” An aviation safety expert said. “The pilot appeared to be trying to perform an emergency maneuver to use the wind to force the rotor to spin again.”
A complete investigation into the helicopter crash will be headed by the National Transportation Safety Board, as further questions arise about the cause of the crash, given the rarity of helicopter crashes, even in Southern California.
LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman was asked by NBC News whether the three helicopter crash-related deaths would be incorporated into Rio’s case; he declined to speculate, stating, “We’ll wait to see what the investigation reveals, and then we’ll make the call at that time.”
A memorial for the victims has been set up outside of Whiteman Airport. At a press conference hours after the crash, LAMayor Karen Bass said, “This is a heartbreaking night for our city, and my thoughts and prayers are with first and foremost with the families and loved ones that we lost today,” CBS reported.
