A two-vehicle crash in the Lake Balboa area Tuesday left a man dead and a woman critically injured, authorities said.
Paramedics were sent to the 17300 block of Saticoy Street at 9:42 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Information was not immediately available on the identity of the fatally injured man, who died at the scene. The woman was taken to a hospital in critical condition, the LAFD reported.
According to the LAFD, a car and a pickup truck collided, and the truck struck a tree and a commercial building, damaging a natural gas meter. LAFD crews stopped a natural gas leak, and there was no fire.
“The adult male — sole occupant of the pickup truck — is deceased and remains at scene,” the LAFD’s Brian Humphrey said. “The critically injured adult female was the driver and sole occupant of the coupe. She is being treated at a regional trauma center. No other injuries have been reported.
“Though there was rain in the area this morning, the specific cause of and any factors related to the collision will be formally determined by LAPD Valley Traffic Division investigators,” Humphrey said.
SoCalGas crews were sent to the scene, along with building and health inspectors. A restaurant was damaged, and a health inspection will be required, the LAFD reported.
“The pickup that struck the building was from a commercial pest control firm,” Humphrey said.
“Because the forceful collision(s) caused that truck’s cargo of commercial pesticide containers to be ejected alongside the roadway and building, an LAFD Hazardous Materials Squad has been summoned per protocol to survey the scene and assure no actual pesticide product has been spilled,” Humphrey said.
No one at the scene had any medical complaints, and there was no formal evacuation, Humphrey said. Traffic was routed away from the area while an investigation was conducted.
