New Orleans, LA : 3 killed, 2 injured in fatal crash at Tulane and South Carrollton on Sunday, 2nd October 2016

A tow truck driver lost control and careened into the parking lot of a shopping center at Tulane and South Carrollton avenues Sunday (Oct. 2), striking pedestrians at a bus stop and killing three, police and witnesses said.

Two other people, the tow truck driver and a pedestrian, were hospitalized following the crash, police said. They are in critical condition, said Anthony Michieu, traffic division commander with the New Orleans Police Department.

The crash occurred at about 5 p.m. at the Mid-City shopping center that includes a Nike Factory Store, Dollar Tree, and other shops. The tow truck driver was heading southbound on Tulane Avenue, lost control, crossed over the northbound lane and into the parking lot of the shopping center. The truck struck pedestrians as well as four cars before coming to rest in the parking lot, Michieu said.

Witness Edward Dale was at the center to shop at the Nike store and saw the truck hit a woman and two men who were standing along a fence that separates the parking lot from the sidewalk, near a bus shelter. A total of 12 or 13 people were standing in and around the bus stop, he said.

"It came head on at me," Dale said, "Thank God I had a little quick movement to bounce around the side," of the Nike store, out of the way.

The side of the tow truck was labeled with the company name "All Night Towing & Recovery." A woman who answered the phone at that business declined to comment.

While some people at the scene said drivers often try to do illegal U-turns in the area, Michieu said the truck driver did not appear to be trying to turn.

"We're still trying to figure out the cause of the crash," he said. "We are going to investigate any and all possible leads that may be contributing factors to the reasons of this horrific crash today."

Source :
3 killed, 2 injured in fatal crash at Tulane and South Carrollton