A 21-year-old driver was arrested on suspicion of DUI after a Ford Mustang went airborne and crashed into an under-construction building in Rolling Hills Estates early Sunday, igniting a blaze that severely damaged the structure, authorities said.
Three people were injured in the fiery collision, which occurred around 3:25 a.m. near the intersection of Hawthorne Boulevard and Indian Peak Road.
The newer-version Mustang was headed down Hawthorne when it went airborne over a block wall, through a construction site parking lot and into a building that was under construction, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. David Avila.
Video from the scene showed that the vehicle somehow lost its bumper prior to the collision, and appeared to have landed upside down when it came to a rest inside the under-construction building.
The Mustang was traveling at a “very” high-rate of speed when it crossed over into the construction site, Avila stated.
“To go through the fence, to clear that wall — and then once it went through the structure, it caught fire,” he said.
The occupants of the vehicle were able to get out shortly after it burst into flames, according to the fire captain.
He added that the three people were all conscious at the crash site, but he was unsure of the nature of their injuries and conditions. Two people were taken away by ambulance, a witness at the scene said.
The vehicle’s 21-year-old driver was later arrested on suspicion of DUI, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. His name was not immediately released.
Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze about 30 minutes after it erupted, but the structure sustained major damage, video from the scene showed.
The charred wreckage of the Mustang remained at the scene hours after the collision.
Occupants escape after Ford Mustang crashes into construction site. #chipotle & #habitburger Hawthorne Blvd. @KTLA pic.twitter.com/5IYJag3JWU
— Dave Mecham (@DaveMechamTime) October 18, 2015
