3 Dead, Including Child, After Minivan Goes Over Side of 134 Freeway in Eagle Rock

Mark Charles August 13, 2012 at 01:34 am

While I don't know what caused the crash, I know why this accident was so tragic: the vastly inadequate guardrails on all the bridges and over passes here in Eagle Rock.

Since August 13, 2012 at 02:33 am

I was at ER park for a concert and we heard the boom of the crash. It was an absolutely horrific scene :(
They said it might of been a big rig that rear ended them.

Maricel Mendavia August 13, 2012 at 06:04 am

The state should definitely RAISE THE GAURD RAILS ON ALL SIDES OF THE 134 FREEWAY. If only, the rails were higher, i think it could've ended up less tragic, and maybe those people would've still been alive. Literally, those gaurd rails are not even as tall as half of a car, just imagine an SUV, it would probably be as tall as half the tire size or better yet, not even half the tire. We need heavy duty, tall gaurd rails.. WE MUST DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. We can't have anymore of these tragic accidents and incidents where many people fall off the embankment due to, as Mark said, " Inadequate gaurd rails"

nonoise August 13, 2012 at 11:37 am

The kid that made it to the hospital survived (so far) because the kid was not in a seat belt and was thrown clear. Clear evidence that seat belts do not always help.

Mark Charles August 13, 2012 at 02:07 pm

Update: from news footage and police reports, it looks as though the SUV hit the angled concrete wall between the 134 E/W lanes and then fell between their respective bridges to the street below. A fourth victim has died in the hospital.

Charles D August 13, 2012 at 02:23 pm

My condolence to the families and may God Bless you.

John Wayne's Honda August 13, 2012 at 02:24 pm

Tragic, but raising guard rails are not going to stop a rolling suv. You know what would have prevented this crash? Proper tire inflation, driving while sober, and proper vehicle maintenance.

Marcus August 13, 2012 at 02:57 pm

Terrible news. Who knows what could have helped, but the chances seem slim if you are hit by a much bigger vehicle.
Seat belts have saved my life a couple of times. So I say they do make a difference.

Mark Charles August 13, 2012 at 05:06 pm

Granted, the SUV was large, and out of control. However, the 300ft of wall separating the east and westbound 134 prior to the Fig bridges is not vertical. It is angled at such a degree that it permits a vehicle to leave the roadway at a point where a 30ft drop follows. This could happen to a motorcyclist or Prius. The current design needs to be addressed.

jack August 14, 2012 at 01:04 am

Sorry but those railings have been there for quite a few years with thousands of cars passing over that exact spot every day. It was a tragic accident at the worst possible location but please stop with the knee jerk, nanny state reactions. It was their time, and if that's the case, there isn't a guard rail on this planet that would have saved them.

Mark Charles August 14, 2012 at 02:10 am

Bad design is not "God's work".

jack August 14, 2012 at 03:37 pm

And not all accidents are preventable.

jack August 14, 2012 at 03:49 pm

By the way, who said anything about God?

mary August 14, 2012 at 07:48 pm

People are dead...but yet others argue about why....what kind of people are we?

jack August 14, 2012 at 07:56 pm

Mary, that is exactly my point. These people are dead, now we get the blame game. Blame the freeway, blame the tire manufacturer, blame the maker of the vehicle, blame, blame, blame. Sometimes bad things, terrible things, happen to good people and there is no one to blame. I'm sure many will disagree with me, but it's true.

Mark Charles August 15, 2012 at 01:07 am

Thanks Jack for the comfort of the inevitable. However, using terms like knee jerk and nanny state are slightly insensitive. People are dead, find another issue to push back on. I care about safety. I think people should speak up when they see things that are unsafe. If a young girl is walking into traffic, do I sit idly by and say to myself, "it must be her time"? Throughout history engineered structures have failed and killed people. The engineers are not murderers, but we do investigate such tragedies to see if such events can be mitigated in the future, if not prevented. I am not blaming CalTrans, Ford, Goodyear, or even the driver. Heck, upon further investigation I even retracted my guardrail comment. I have read the police reports thus far, I have walked the accident site, I have videotaped the place where the car left the road surface and fell between the bridges. In my opinion, there is a chink in the armor that these people tragically ended up in. Had it happened 1/4 mile east or west of the location where it happened, the outcome could have been much different. Lets learn how to make our roads safer. My heart goes out to the family, and all those involved in the rescue.

Walter August 15, 2012 at 08:18 am

I drive this route nightly for at least the past 10 years. I have always thought about what insanity it is to have such a 'baby guardrail' . And keep in mind big rigs also use this and just last week i saw pulled over with a blown tire, very close to the location of this accident. I have thought countless times that if someone's tire blows out, or they get hit, they're going off the freeway. and sadly now it happened.
to everyone who's missing it, of course it's up to the state to ensure motorways are safe and have proper safety measures in place. Cars are designed to protect occupants in collisions, not falling off a bridge. Had that guardrail been twice the size, it is highly probable that they would have bounced off and back into the freeway where the car can do what it has been designed to do. and, considering the amount of drivers that speed in this area, putting every driver at risk . on top of that, it is poorly lit at nights, there are animals (deers, coyotes, etc) all the time. all other sections of the 134 and 210 freeways have gotten upgrades, walls, better lighting, reflectors, etc, all but this stretch ......

jack August 15, 2012 at 12:08 pm

Mark, I'm not completely heartless but let me ask you a question. A couple of years ago a vehicle speeding down Colorado Blvd. veered of the road and struck a tree in the center divider. The resulting accident was terrible with many dead. You may have heard about it, it was a big story at the time. The family felt they needed to file a lawsuit against the City of L.A. because the location of the tree, which had been there for many years, was unsafe. WHERE DO WE DRAW THE LINE?

Robert August 15, 2012 at 02:24 pm

I grew up in Eagle Rock and that stretch of the 134 has always been dangerous, imo. It's frightening to drive that part of the freeway at night, especially in the slow lane which puts you right next to a huge cliff with a tiny guardrail between you and a 100 ft. fall. The guardrails on that freeway need to be raised! And the design of the wall between the east and west bound freeway is odd as well. It's almost like a ramp that an out of control car would be launched off of. God bless the family and friends of the injured and deceased. Let's hope their deaths are not wasted and the safety of that highway is examined!

Mark Charles August 15, 2012 at 04:22 pm

It looks that that is exactly how the SUV ended up falling between the bridges. I drove by two days ago and you can see the police marking paint showing where the vehicle rode up and along the wall you are talking about.

Mark Charles August 16, 2012 at 05:28 pm

Here is a study/report I dug up on guard rails.
http://www.dot.ca.gov/newtech/operations/roadsidesafety/docs/type80.pdf

bbkong August 18, 2012 at 05:04 pm

This was a tragic accident, but as we know, bad things happen to good people all the time.
I'm just wondering where EagleRockMom is to blame it on the marijuana dispensaries.

Elijah H August 18, 2012 at 08:44 pm

Not sure of your source, your facts are often doubtful... but in any case, anecdote doesn't = data. Decisions should be based on data, not random anecdotes.