GRANADA HILLS >> Firefighters ripped apart a mangled SUV to free three injured young men who were trapped inside after the vehicle struck a tree along San Fernando Road, authorities said.
Two men were hospitalized in critical condition and one was hospitalized in serious condition following the crash, which took place just before 1 p.m. in the 14400 block of North San Fernando Road, just west of Balboa Boulevard, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said. All were described as men estimated to be in their 20s.
The driver and two passengers were trapped inside the Toyota SUV when officials arrived on-scene, he said.
“Firefighters had to use hydraulic prying tools to deconstruct the SUV,” Humphrey said.
The relationship among the three injured men was not clear, he said.
Two of the injured were taken to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, and the third was taken to Henry Mayo Hospital in Valencia, officials said.
San Fernando Road was briefly shut down in both directions as officials tended to the injured and investigated the scene.
The cause of the crash was being investigated by the Los Angeles police Department’s Valley Traffic Division.
PHOTO by Mike Meadows