Preliminary investigations indicate that a Los Angeles County Public Works vehicle collided with a second vehicle that had just exited the Polynesian Mobile Home Park. One man was trapped in the second vehicle after the accident
Newhall, CA – Authorities have released the identities of the two men who were killed in a collision that happened at an intersection in Newhall early Sunday morning.
According to officials with the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, Nathaniel Cottrill, 45, of Bullhead City, Arizona, and Mario Baez, 61, of San Fernando, were the victims killed in the collision.
At around 6:50 a.m. March 1, the Los Angeles County Fire Department crews responded to reports of a collision on Newhall Avenue near Sierra Highway.
Preliminary investigations indicate that a Los Angeles County Public Works vehicle collided with a second vehicle that had just exited the Polynesian Mobile Home Park. One man was trapped in the second vehicle after the accident.
Firefighters immediately responded to the scene and extricated the trapped man from the wreckage.
Both men in the second vehicle, later identified as Cottrill and Baez, were declared deceased at the scene of the crash. A third person involved in the crash was not injured.
Newhall Avenue was shut down for several hours as authorities conducted investigations and cleared the scene.
The circumstances that caused the deadly Newhall crash are yet to be established. Authorities are actively investigating to find out what contributed to the incident.
In Los Angeles County, traffic collisions continue to be a major public safety challenge, with tens of thousands of residents killed or injured on roadways each year. In 2023, there were 58,758 total fatal and injury collisions reported countywide, covering crashes involving motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists. Alcohol-involved crashes numbered about 6,200, and there were over 12,300 speed-related serious collisions, showing that impaired and high-speed driving remain key risk factors. Pedestrian collisions resulted in more than 4,000 people killed or injured, and nearly 2,000 bicyclists were also victims, reflecting the vulnerability of non-motorists. Nighttime crashes and hit-and-run incidents were also common, with 7,118 nighttime injury/fatality collisions and 7,398 hit-and-runs reported. When compared with 2022, which saw 58,147 fatal and injury collisions, the 2023 figures indicate a persistently high crash burden in the county’s extensive road network.
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