The Antelope Valley Times

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Passenger killed, driver critically injured in fiery Palmdale traffic crash

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The BMW caught fire after the crash and trapped the passenger, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The deceased passenger’s identity has not yet been released. [Photo Credit: April Jenkins, AV Scanner News]
PALMDALE – A passenger was killed and a driver was critically injured Thursday night when the BMW they were in burst into flames after being rear-ended near a Palmdale intersection, authorities said.

The three-vehicle collision was reported around 10:35 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15, near the intersection of Rancho Vista Boulevard and 25th Street West, according to a news release from the Sheriffs Information Bureau.

“The preliminary investigation indicates a male, 35 years old, was driving a Chevy Cruze westbound on Rancho Vista Boulevard when he rear-ended a BMW sedan, which was stopped behind several vehicles for a red light. The collision caused the BMW to lunge forward and rear-end a Buick SUV driven by a male, 27 years old,” the news release states.

The BMW burst into flames, trapping the driver and his passenger. A man who was a passenger in the Buick SUV rescued the driver of the BMW, but the passenger burned to death in the car, sheriff’s officials said.

“The [BMW’s] passenger was pronounced dead at the scene and the driver was transported to a local hospital with multiple burns on his body,” the sheriff’s news release states.

“The driver of the Chevy Cruze suffered minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital. Investigators do not believe this driver was intoxicated at the time of the collision,” the news release states.

No arrests were made, but the investigation is ongoing, officials said.

Rancho Vista Boulevard was closed between 25th Street West and 23rd Street West while the incident was being investigated.

Anyone with information regarding this traffic collision is encouraged to contact Palmdale Station’s Traffic Department at 661-272-2400.

The driver of the Chevy Cruze suffered minor injuries. Investigators don’t believe he was intoxicated at the time of the crash. [Photo Credit: April Jenkins, AV Scanner News]
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Filed Under: Palmdale

33 comments for "Passenger killed, driver critically injured in fiery Palmdale traffic crash"

  1. Hello everyone!
    In addition the couple in the BMW were my friends parents. I would like to share a link to a gofundme page that some of her close friends have made for her and her sister.

    Thank you to those who have been praying and sending positivity our way. I know my friends would be grateful,and humbled.

    https://www.gofundme.com/arevalo-family

  2. Hi all,

    We thank everyone for their prayers and thoughts as we navigate through this hard time as a family. The folks who were injured in the BMW were my uncle and aunt.

    We have set a memorial fund for funeral expenses and on-going expenses related to my uncle’s medical attention.

    Please consider donating and leaving a prayer on the page. I know this would mean a lot to their daughters.

    https://www.youcaring.com/anaarevalo-1105946

    If you happened to be eye-witnesses please consider contacting via the page as well.

  4. There is no doubt the driver who rear-ended the BMW is at fault 100%. While it is unfortunate that the BMW may have had a defect, the death of the passenger would not have occurred but for the negligence of the stupid driver. Man cannot excuse his stupidity on the basis that the innocent victim had a defective product. This kind of stupidity should be punishable by death in a court of law.

    • Another alternative Christian that doesn’t get it, but thinks he does. Your blood thirsty vengeful mind-set has nothing to do with God.

  5. Hello all im a direct family members of the victims. They are very dear close family to me. Our family is devastated by the horrific accident. If you have a video please email it to me at stealthsi009@gmail.com. Our family is looking for answers and we havent so many versions of what happened. Please contact me if you have any info on the accident it will shed some light to lots of questions we have with no answers.. Thank you in advance.

    • I am sorry for your loss. Make sure you get an excellent lawyer on this matter and make the driver pay for the rest of his life. It would be great if this kind of stupidity was punishable by death in a court of law. So the best you can do is make sure that 1. cell phone records are obtain, 2. that a drug test was done and be certain that your lawyer does a complete asset search on all those financially liable. It is certain that there was not enough insurance on this matter by the scum bag driver so a civil law suit for wrongful death is in order here. Good luck , and may God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit bring you peace.

      • Poncho, you do realize LE has already stated intoxication was NOT a factor in this accident. Matter of fact, most ALL car accidents involve sober drivers. All you blood thirsty, revenge seeking maniacs need to take a Xanax and relax. Try rational thought for the 1st time in your lives, it’s good for you.
        Accidents happen, not every accident requires an execution to make things right. And for the sake of all rational people left on Earth, if you are eligible to vote, please don’t .

      • Hang him!
        We want blood!
        But also, may God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit bring you peace!
        Lmao the hypocrisy!

  6. While everyone seems busy trying to decide how much blame to dump on the driver of the Chevy, I’d like to know how this late model BMW went all Ford Pinto too fast to get people out. Wasn’t that sort of problem supposed to have been engineered out decades ago?

      • There is and has been a huge problem with BMW’s catching fire. Even BMW’s catching fire while parked.

        • I think those are electrical fires though…not ‘burst into a gasoline fueled inferno and incinerate people’ fires. Though an electrical fire can turn into that eventually if it happens in a closed garage and no one notices until the car is fully involved. If they really are demonstrating a ‘Pinto effect’ how is BMW keeping them on the road?

      • Good point. My bad. Even so, given that the Ford Pinto burst into flames when rear ended problem was in the…seventies? Eighties at the very latest…I have to think this BMW wasn’t THAT old.

        • The Ford Pinto; a perfect example of white collar crime, where profit is prioritized over ethical concerns.

    • It does not say in the article, but looking at the photo it looks like an early 80’s model. Looking at the other vehicle the Blue Chevy, It doesn’t look like too hard of an impact, but hard to tell from just one photo.

  7. My CONDOLENCES to the passenger’s family RIP how dare AV SCANNERS POST A VIDEO OF THE BURNING PASSANGER LIVE INSTEAD OF HELPING OUT VERY DISGUSTED THWY THINK ITS ALL FUN AND GAMES THIS IS NOT A GAME THAT WAS SOMONES LOVED ONE WHO DIED TEARFULLY THESE PEOPLE DRIVE COP CARS AND RUN RED LIGHT THINKING THEY ARE LAW ENFORCMENT HOW CAN TOU POST DEAD BODIES UNCOVERED AND POST IT ON FACEBOOK VERY DISGUSTED AV SCANNERS IS [removed] THEY DO THIS FOR FUN REAL LIFE ITS NOT

  8. Not enough interest from the LASD in people speeding on Rancho Vista or for that matter Sierra Highway, Pearblossom, and many other roads. I take my dog to Marie Kerr Park and am astonished at what I see and hear.

    Sheriff – quit wasting time and money on trying to bust people riding ATVs in the dirt and get busy doing your job !

    • The money for the DiRT patrols comes from my tags on my quad. I personally am glad they are out enforcing trespass, noise, nuisance laws in rural areas. Too many jerks riding motorcycles on horse trails and tearing up the desert, dumping crap, destroying animal burrows, and just plain being jerks.
      As I wrote this one of my wonderful neighbors (white guy with too much money) just tested out the acceleration of his ‘muscle’ car on a residential street at 11:00 PM.

    • Your right, it is all the Sheriff’s Department’s fault here. They spend too much money with the OHV team and not enough time enforcing the freeway speeds through town.

      Of course it has nothing to do with the drunk who rear ended someone stopped at a red light.

      If you got a speeding ticket on RVB you would probably tell the deputy he should be out arresting a murderer and not picking on people for such petty stuff.

      Quit taking your dog to Marie Kerr park. It is too dangerous for your dog.

      • Oh, George, you fact inventors are tiring. Can you read? How’s the weather in alterna land? …….”investigators do not believe this driver was intoxicated at the time of the collision,” the news release states.”
        George, since you can barely read, please don’t vote and for all of humankind, don’t procreate.

        • Just an example of a response so common here. I can make whatever facts up as I see fit. That is the liberal way right?

          Ok, so I misread. Why go into a rant all about pro-creation. I can read, just made a mistake. I am sorry I am not perfect like you.

          Remove that one line from my response and then read it again if you are able to without being another name calling idiot.

  9. I was there in number 1 lane waiting at the red light along with the other cars that were involved by the rear end driver. Watching the car go up in flames with the passenger trapped as he burned to death was devastating. The driver of the BMW that rear ended the other vehicles was not saved, he jumped out the car and saved himself, i recorded the whole incident and have it on my cell phone . I watched that burning man escape the vehicle while on fire. No one could of saved anyone from that car, it caught blaze real quick.. My prayers goes out to the families.

    • The guys in the bmw are my friends his mane is jose and her name is ana is there any way i can see the videos?

    • Personally, I would turn the video over to the investigators. If their daughters do end up needing it, they can request it. There is no need for anyone else in this world to have to see that.

      • Why would someone film that?!?! Someone who was very loved died. How would you like it if your loved one was filmed when they were dying.

        • I don’t know if the video really exists or if that post was from a troll – I don’t know if the video shows a person trapped and screaming as he burned to death or if he was unconscious, but either way, the video has no investigative value as it was taken after the crash took place. It should be deleted and never shown to anyone. I can think of no worse way to die… my condolences to the family.

  10. The speed limits throughout the AV are way to high. Rancho Vista Blvd is 60 mph at some points, which means people do 70 plus! I never see the Sheriffs around. Ave L by the new Kaiser people drive crazy!
    I think it was fine twenty years ago when there was no traffic but the speeders are out of control now!