Street racing appears to have led to a vehicle crash involving multiple vehicles early on Sunday morning around 9:20 a.m. near the intersection of S. Magnolia and W. Flower Avenues in Fullerton, according to the Fullerton Police Department.
A dark grey Audi sedan and a white Yamaha R6 motorcycle were traveling north on Magnolia from Orangethorpe at a high rate of speed when they struck a gold Toyota Sienna minivan that was turning eastbound onto Flower from Magnolia, according to a Fullerton police a news release.
The motorcycle hit the rear passenger side of the minivan, and the a 35-year-old rider was ejected from his motorcycle.
The Audi struck the front passenger side of the minivan. The Audi veered off the roadway due to the force of the impact and it struck both a bicyclist and a 70-year-old pedestrian on the Magnolia Avenue sidewalk. The Audi then struck a telephone pole and hit a fence and a home on Magnolia, causing a gas leak.
The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene while the motorcyclist was transported to a hospital where he later died.
Several residents had to be evacuated from homes near the collision because of the gas leak. Fullerton firefighters were able to shut down the gas which allowed the residents to return home.
The Fullerton police were alerted about the gas leak by a resident, Luis Cisneros, 38, who discovered that the Audi had landed upside down in the front yard of his mother’s home. Cisneros’ cousin, Oscar Vega, was in the home and was preparing breakfast when he heard the two racing vehicles and then the crash.
Vega went outside to help the Audi driver to get out of his smashed-up car. That driver escaped without major harm.
Cisneros complained that illegal street racers are frequent on his street and there have been three other collisions in the same area in recent years.
The 74-year-old driver of the Toyota Sienna and his 15-year-old passenger were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. A bicyclist in his 30s was also taken to the hospital with moderate injuries. The 32-year-old driver of the Audi complained of pain but was not hospitalized.
No one has been cited yet and the police investigators don’t believe that alcohol or drugs were involved in the crash. The investigation is ongoing.
