CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) — Three people are dead and another person is in critical condition after the car they were in crashed into a tree in San Diego's Chula Vista neighborhood Saturday evening.
The fatal crash happened around 3:56 p.m. in the 500 block of East H Street.
According to the Chula Vista Police Department, when officers arrived at the scene, they learned that a Nissan Sentra was traveling westbound when the car, for reasons still under investigation, crashed head-on with a tree in the center median.
“There would be little like fender benders and small accidents, but nothing like that. I’ve never seen anything like that before," said Silvestre Diloy.
Diloy lives in the nearby apartment building. He said he heard a loud bang when the crash happened and ran to try to help the passengers.
“It was pretty traumatic. Kind of had to take a breath after a while and collect my thoughts. It just happened so quickly," he said.
Authorities say they tried to perform lifesaving measures to the passengers of the car. Unfortunately, the driver ultimately died from his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Three other passengers were taken to trauma centers. Two of the passengers died from their injuries at the hospital and one passenger is still in critical condition.
People have left flowers, balloons, and candles at the crash site as a growing memorial for the victims.
CVPD says there were two dogs inside the car when the crash happened and they were both dead at the scene. The Chula Vista Police Traffic Bureau was called to the scene to investigate the collision.
The names of the victims have not been released to the public at this time. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Anyone that witnessed the collision or has additional information is asked to contact the Chula Vista Police Department Traffic Bureau at 619-409-5833.
