In a tragic incident early Friday morning, a violent wrong-way crash on the northbound lanes of the 110 Freeway in South Los Angeles resulted in the death of one person and left three others with severe injuries.
Authorities received several distress calls around 3 a.m., reporting a woman driving a dark-colored Chevrolet Cruze in the wrong direction on the northbound lanes. Shortly after, the compact car collided head-on with a taxi cab near the Exposition Boulevard exit.
First responders arrived at the scene to find multiple individuals trapped in the wreckage. The Jaws of Life were utilized to extricate four people from the twisted metal.
The taxi driver, identified as 71-year-old Ken Balayev by the LA County coroner’s office, was tragically pronounced dead at the scene. Balayev, a resident of Calabasas, lost his life in the collision.
The passenger in the taxi, as well as the two occupants of the Chevy sedan, sustained serious injuries and were transported to the hospital for medical treatment.
The motive behind the woman’s wrong-way driving remains unknown at this time, as investigators work to determine the circumstances that led to the fatal collision.
Following the incident, a SigAlert was issued and remained in effect for several hours, causing traffic disruptions. By 6 a.m., the SigAlert was lifted, but no further details have been released by authorities at this stage.
The tragic wrong-way crash serves as a solemn reminder of the dangers posed by such incidents and the importance of exercising caution and adhering to traffic rules to ensure the safety of all road users.
