Accident damages cars, injures four near USC

Four people were injured last night in a car collision at 12:29 a.m. on Friday near the intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and Orchard Avenue. 

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, none of the people involved were USC-affiliated. Department of Public Safety Assistant Chief David Carlisle said that the initial reports indicated that the cause of the accident could have been a drag race.

“There was another vehicle involved that was stopped near Vermont Avenue, and a person was seen running from the area of the vehicle,” Carlisle said.

Carlisle said that DPS officers put out a fire that was sparked by the collision and removed two of the people in the passenger seats, before LAPD and the Los Angeles Fire Department arrived at the scene.

The driver and the passenger in the front seat were cut out and extracted from the vehicle by LAFD and taken in an ambulance to the hospital, according to LAPD.

Taylor Finley-Ponds, a freshman majoring in business administration, was one of the students who witnessed the aftermath of the accident.

“When I heard the boom and looked out the window it was bad,” Finley-Ponds said. “I …  couldn’t sleep despite having an 8 a.m. [class]. I realized that tomorrow isn’t promised for anyone.”

Kevin Zhao, a sophomore majoring in aerospace engineering, approached the site of the accident after he heard the crash from his apartment in Cardinal Gardens. He said he, along with other people who witnessed the crash, were impressed with the quick response time from officials.

“There is a general sense of relief and appreciation for DPS and the fire department,” Zhao said. “They were there within a few minutes of the crash — it took me 30 seconds just to get to my door. People everywhere were saying how safe they felt at USC.”

Danni Wang contributed to this report.