A vehicle went over the side of the Ventura (134) Freeway Sunday in Eagle Rock, killing four people and hospitalizing two others, a city fire official said.
The crash was reported at 6:55 p.m. on the eastbound 134 at Figueroa Street, according to Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Investigators said the 1999 Ford Expedition was travelling at about 65 mph when it flipped from the fast lane to the carpool lane before plunging through a split in the freeway and slamming into Figueroa Street about 40 feet below.
A 6-year-old girl was ejected from the vehicle and landed in the carpool lane, Officer Jose Barrios with CHP said, adding that a witness was able to stop before striking the girl.
Investigators say it appears the girl was not wearing a seatbelt at the time, but in a strange way, that may have saved her life.
"If she was buckled in, I don't see her as being ejected," Barrios said.
The girl and a 15-year-old boy were in critical condition Monday evening, officials said. Four adults, three women and one man, were killed. Three were pronounced dead at the scene; a fourth person died at the hospital.
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The group was travelling in the same vehicle, Humphrey said.
The cause of the crash was unknown, but investigators on Monday were focusing on one of the vehicle's tires, which a witness said "looked strange."
"It could've been something shredding or she might have seen it deflate. She saw ...something," Barrios said.
The 134 freeway was closed for more than two hours Sunday night creating a snarl that stretched for miles. On Monday, flowers and candles marked the spot where the car landed on its side.
Correction: The original version of this article incorrectly reported that the 6-year-old girl died at the scene. As of Monday evening, she was hospitalized with "major injuries," according to the California Highway Patrol.
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