Crime & Safety

SUV Crashes on Rain-Slicked Devonshire St. at Mason Ave.

Between a half-inch and 1.25 inches of rain had fallen by Monday evening in the coastal and valley sections of Los Angeles County.

A maroon SUV dodged a motorcycle, sideswiped a rented Range Rover and slid across the rain-slicked intersection at Devonshire Street and Mason Avenue Monday night, narrowly missing the brick support of a mini-mall sign.

However, a "for lease" sign was sheared off at its base by the impact.

The SUV windshield was a spiderweb of cracks and the airbag was deployed. The driver was transported to an area hospital, according to a witness. The driver of the Range Rover was able to depart after talking with police.

Find out what's happening in Northridge-Chatsworthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The front of the SUV was demolished. The bumper was torn away and one of the headlights and the front license plate landed 10 feet away in a parking lot.

Light rain was still falling as the vehicle was slowly pulled aboard a flatbed tow truck. Oil began to leak in rivulets down the sidewalk.

Find out what's happening in Northridge-Chatsworthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

There was no immediate indication that a motorcycle driver remained at the scene.

Meanwhile, the California Highway Patrol reported about 120 accidents on county freeways during the 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. Monday commute, about twice the number that occurred during those hours a week ago, when it did not rain. No serious accidents were reported, although a major collision involving eight big rigs in the Newhall Pass occurred Monday night.

Between a half-inch and 1.25 inches of rain had fallen in the coastal and valley sections of Los Angeles County by Monday evening, National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Ryan Kittell said.

Another quarter-inch to half-inch will fall before the rainfall tapers off later Tuesday, Kittell said.

Despite the fact that this winter is supposed to have La Niña weather, meaning it will be relatively dry, this year's rainfall is running ahead of normal, with 3.4 inches of rain falling since the season began. Normally at this point the figure would be 2.69 inch, Kittell said.

Between four and six inches of snow had fallen in the mountains and Highway 138 had to be plowed to keep it open, Kittell said. Some snowfall is expected in Lancaster and Palmdale Tuesday morning, he said.

Thunderstorms are also possible, Kittell said.

The freeways and highways expected to be most affected by snowfall in Los Angeles and Ventura counties Tuesday are Interstate 5 through the Grapevine, the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway, Pearblossom (138) Highway, state Routes 2 and 33, and Lockwood Valley Road, according to NWS forecasters.

"Significant amounts of snow are forecast that will make travel dangerous. Only travel in an emergency. If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in you vehicle in case of an emergency," Kittell said.

—City News Service contributed to this report.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.