1 killed, several others injured in violent Encino crash involving 2 vehicles

ENCINO, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- One person was killed and several others were injured in a violent two-vehicle crash that shut down a large portion of Ventura Boulevard in Encino on Saturday afternoon.

The collision happened around 11:15 a.m. on Ventura Boulevard near the intersection with Densmore Avenue. Video from the scene shows a white Lexus and a blue Tesla completely smashed with airbags deployed.

Blood was visible on the Lexus' steering wheel airbag.

"It sounded pretty much like a big explosion," witness Mynor Lopez said.

Lopez rushed outside after hearing the collision and recorded video of firefighters working to free people from the Lexus. The vehicle came to a stop on top of a Banc of California sign.

"They took off the roof of the car and extracted the son. His leg was trapped. The lady wasn't moving at all. So from the moment that they opened the car up, she wasn't moving. They placed her on the stretcher. She had like a neck brace, and she was visibly bleeding," Lopez said.

Video also shows the Tesla on a curb with its airbags deployed. Lopez said a man inside the car appeared to be trapped.

"He was screaming, and it was him, and a lady, the passenger, and there was a dog as well in the car. And he looked like his leg was stuck. So he didn't come out until the fire department came, and then they had to extract him out of the car," Lopez said.

Lopez said the people inside the Lexus were trapped for about 10 minutes before emergency medical crews arrived.

"I feel for the family, because the lady, she was visibly limp, and she wasn't talking or responding. I had a feeling that something bad had happened," he said.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said emergency crews transported at least six people to Northridge Hospital. One person was trapped beneath the Banc of California sign after it toppled during the crash.

"Around eight to 10 guys lifted up the sign to help him get free," Lopez said.

Neighbors said the street is often busy, particularly on Saturdays. They said this was the second crash in the area within a month.

The investigation into the cause of Saturday's crash is ongoing.