15-year-old boy dies following parking lot car crash at private school in Studio City, LAPD says
STUDIO CITY, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A young student was crushed between two vehicles and killed, and several other students were hurt in a sudden crash on campus at a Studio City private K-12 school on Wednesday.
The incident happened shortly after 3 p.m. Wednesday in the carpool line of the Campbell Hall School parking lot, located at 4533 Laurel Canyon Boulevard, according to school officials. It all unfolded as parents, friends, and siblings were picking students up from school.
Sources say the driver of a green Rivian SUV was in the carpool lane in the back parking lot of the school, picking up her younger sister, who is a student. The Rivian driver reportedly rear-ended the SUV in front of her, just as the 15-year-old boy was walking past, pinning him between the two SUVs.
"They believe he was walking in between cars, and they believe he may have had a car at the scene that he was going to get into," said Lt. Matthew Bielski with Los Angeles Police Department.
The incident, which investigators are calling a tragic accident, happened in front of students and staff just as the school was letting out.
Parents told Eyewitness News the 15-year-old's father was at the school to pick him up and witnessed the whole thing. The teen was rushed to the hospital, but died from his injuries.
Video of the scene from AIR7 showed a canopy and tarp covering a space between two damaged vehicles.
The Mayor's Crisis Response Team responded to the scene to offer emotional support and recovery assistance to relatives and witnesses at the scene, according to Los Angeles Fire Department.
"We called out the mayor's Crisis Response Team. That team is at the school right now. That team has also responded out to the children's hospital, and they are assisting with any needs there," said Capt. Adam Van Gerpen with LAFD.
It's the last few days of the year at the prestigious private school, and students say it was busy all day with kids coming and going, depending on their finals schedules.
Two other teens and three adults had minor injuries because the initial crash caused chain-reaction fender-benders in the pick-up lane, with other cars being rear-ended just as students were hopping in to head home.
While there are conflicting stories about why the Rivian rear-ended the white SUV in the first place, police were quick to say it was not on purpose, and a tragic accident doesn't warrant any repercussions against the young woman behind the wheel.
"Since it was determined to be an accident, there won't be any citations given, as you can understand, it's an unfortunate incident for both families," Bielski said.
At this point, the name of the student who was killed has not been released.
At the school, classes and finals were canceled for Thursday, but the campus itself will be open for any grieving parents, students, or teachers to gather from 10 a.m. to noon. Campbell Hall School also said they are making counselors and chaplains available to anyone who would like to speak to one.
