Car Torn Apart, Driver Killed After High-Speed Crash Into Hydrant
CANOGA PARK (CBSLA.com) — A man in his 20s was killed Tuesday morning after smashing high-speed into a fire hydrant and a building in Canoga Park.
Steven Jose Rodriguez, 21, of Chatsworth, died in the crash that happened just after 2 a.m. in the area of DeSoto Avenue and Sherman Way. The car was ripped in two after shearing the hydrant, then careening into a business called Auto Craft Collision.
The car was apparently going eastbound on Sherman Way at speeds in excess of 70 mph, according to detectives on the scene. One detective called it "freeway speeds."
The collision with the hydrant threw the car into the business. A geyser erupted from the sheared hydrant for a time, but firefighters were able to turn off the gushing water.
A man getting off work happened to drive into the chaos.
"The water even carried pieces of the car to the other side of the street," Angel Cerada said. "It was horrific, it was scary, I was nervous, I didn't know what to do
The businesses were closed at the time. There were no other injuries reported.
According to the preliminary investigation, Rodriguez was driving at a high rate of speed and may have been drinking.