Surveillance video released Friday from a fuel station shows customers running for safety as a car crashes into a fuel pump and causes the collapse of the metal awning above the pumps.
The vehicle is not included in the video (embedded, above), but the camera was able to capture the immediate aftermath, including a large fireball. Three men can be seen fleeing from the blaze. About 10 seconds after impact, a female passenger exits a vehicle stopped at an adjacent pump. She pauses for a moment, looks at the damage and then takes shelter with another woman inside the Chevron station.
The driver of the Nissan, Travis Kolbo, was fleeing from deputies before the crash, said sheriff's Sgt. Richard Cohen. One witness told investigators that the vehicle was traveling at a speed of about 100 mph.
Kolbo, a 30-year-old Newhall resident, and his passenger, Kimberly Cameron, 30, were trapped in the wreckage. The car was wedged between a post and a collapsed roof at one of the gas pumps, fire officials said. Firefighters also put out a small fire at the scene.
Emergency crews used the "jaws of life" extraction device to remove the driver and passenger from the burned wreckage of the Nissan.
Authorities said the motorists were hospitalized with leg injuries.
The crash near Newhall Avenue and Sierra Highway was reported at 2 a.m., Dispatch Supervisor Michael Pittman of the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.
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Firefighters also put out a small fire at the scene. The crash left a fuel spill and hazardous materials units responded to the Chevron station. Authorities said an automatic emergency fuel shut-off system probably prevented more damage.
The driver fled after deputies attempted to make a traffic stop, said Cohen.
"Kolbo is being investigated for driving under the influence," said Cohen. "Blood tests were taken at the hospital and right now we are waiting for the results to find out if it's a DUI case."
There were no charges pending against the passenger, said Cohen.
Anyone with information on this crash was asked to call Detective Jeff Maag or Sgt. Cohen at the Santa Clarita sheriff's station at 661-799-5109.
