Los Angeles Car Crash: 1 woman dead, 4 injured after 91-year-old driver crashes into Trader Joe’s parking lot

A woman in her 30s was killed and four others were hospitalized Thursday afternoon after a 91-year-old driver crashed a Tesla into a parking attendant stand near a Trader Joe's in the Fairfax District.

The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the store, located near West 3rd Street and Fairfax Avenue, around 1:30 p.m. local time on Thursday (September 3), according to reports by local ABC affiliate KABC-TV and NBC affiliate KCRA. The shared parking lot serves Trader Joe's, Mendocino Farms, and Sidecar Doughnuts.

According to KABC-TV and the LAFD, the driver of the Tesla plowed directly into the security stand. One victim, a woman in her 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene, while four others were taken to nearby hospitals.


The fire department reported that those injured included a 19-year-old man who suffered serious injuries, two women ages 30 and 57 with minor injuries, and the 91-year-old female driver, who was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. No arrest was announced.

Witnesses told KTLA that the driver appeared to lose control of her car as she entered the parking lot, striking a parked car before crashing into the parking attendant stand.

"We are aware of the accident yesterday afternoon near our store at 3rd & Fairfax," a Trader Joe’s spokesperson told PEOPLE in a statement. "Our store has been part of this neighborhood for 14 years, and we feel compassion for all those impacted by this tragedy."

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she was "deeply saddened" by the crash and that her office deployed members of its Crisis Response Team to render aid, according to KTLA.

An investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department remains ongoing. According to KCRA and KTLA, officials believe the crash was accidental, with investigators looking into whether the elderly driver suffered a medical emergency, as well as examining vehicle speed and braking data.