City officials have mandated court-ordered road testing on a Beverly Hills street where several deadly crashes have occurred over the past two years.
Loma Vista Drive was closed Sunday morning as crews took pictures and a vehicle, similar to a Google Earth car, took 3D scans of the terrain along the road. The street will be closed again for more testing from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
The three deadly crashes that have occurred in the past two years involved cement mixers and other heavy trucks. In 2014, the city of Beverly Hills issued new weight and inspection regulations for heavy trucks on Loma Vista, citing "a critical public safety issue."
The street has its own runaway ramp for vehicles that are unable to stop. In January, a flatbed truck lost control and ran a stop sign at Loma Vista and Doheny Road. It struck a parked car, then a retaining wall, and the driver was killed.
Sandip Southdkal, a nearby resident, said it's sometimes a risky venture when he goes out for a jog on Loma Vista.
"It's about time. If you look at the roads, it's quite curvy and quite dangerous too," he said.
In March 2014, dump truck collided with a Los Angeles Police Department cruiser on along Loma Vista Drive at Doheny Road. Officer Nicholas Lee was killed and his partner injured responding to an emergency call.
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Two months later, on May 9, off-duty LAPD Detective Ernest Allen was killed when a concrete mixer collided with his vehicle about 25 yards away from the previous crash.
The driver of a cement truck was also hurt in May 2014 when he crashed on Loma Vista, spilling cement.
The recent test of the area are a result of a lawsuit filed against the cities of Beverly Hills and Los Angeles by the family of LAPD Detective Allen.
"It may be a little inconvenient for a while but definitely a good thing in the long run," resident Chenoa Defreece said.
