BODIES 'TOSSED ... LIKE RAG DOLLS'.Byline: Michael Gougis and Lisa Sodders Staff Writers SANTA MONICA Santa Monica (săn`tə mŏn`ĭkə), city (1990 pop. 86,905), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1886. Tourism and retailing are important, and the city has motion-picture, biotechnology, and software industries. - Michael Poisson, general manager at Johnnie's New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Pizzeria, looked up when he heard what sounded like a bomb and saw people ``getting tossed around like rag dolls.'' Not knowing what else to do, he called 911 on his cell phone. ``I was in tears - very shaken up and very shocked,'' Poisson said. ``There was one girl on one of the makeshift tables from the farmers market and her eyes were wide open, and they were trying to resuscitate re·sus·ci·tate v. To restore consciousness, vigor, or life to. her, and for some reason that vision is stuck in my head.'' Caroline Roesch saw the car speeding past, knocking bodies out of the way. ``I ran out and I wanted to help them. I grabbed everything I could - some water and some aprons and I covered some bodies,'' said Roesch, a cashier CASHIER. An officer of a moneyed institution, who is entitled by virtue of his office to take care of the cash or money of such institution. 2. The cashier of a bank is usually entrusted with all the funds of the bank, its notes, bills, and other choses in at Acadie Restaurant on Arizona Avenue. ``There was blood everywhere and people screaming. ``It was just the most awful thing I've ever seen in my life.'' The popular Santa Monica farmers market became a scene of carnage Wednesday as a speeding Buick sedan Sedan (sədäN`), town (1990 pop. 22,407), Ardennes dept., NE France, on the Meuse River. A noted textile center since the 16th cent., Sedan also has metal and brewing industries. The town became part of French crown lands in 1642. careened down Arizona Avenue, killing nine people and injuring dozens of others as it plowed through crowds of shoppers. Witnesses said colorful vendors booths and bodies went flying as the maroon maroon, term for a fugitive slave in the 17th and 18th cent. in the West Indies and Guiana, or for a descendant of such slaves. They were called marron by the French and cimarrón by the Spanish. 1992 Buick LaSabre accelerated down the street at 1:35 p.m., just 25 minutes before the market was scheduled to shut down. It stopped just short of Ocean and Arizona avenues, its windshield smashed, a body lying on the ground in front of the car. Izzy Levitansky, 19, of Santa Monica was handing out candles and Jewish literature Jewish literature: see Hebrew literature. in the marketplace at the time of the tragedy. ``I heard a noise and I ran and my table went flying,'' he said. ``God saved my life. When I saw this car flying though, I thought it was like 9-11. ``I've never been in Israel, but this is what the bombings looked like. People were running, people were screaming.'' ``I heard a car just hit - bang, bang, bang,'' Mojgan Pour, 38, told The Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. ``I heard people screaming. By the time I looked, I never even saw the car. I tried to help a man and he died while I was helping him.'' Jessie Moio, 15, of Santa Monica described seeing a woman screaming in terror by a child lying under a yellow sheet. ``We later just saw there was blood all over her white dress,'' Moio told the AP. Authorities said they received the first 911 call at 1:38 p.m., and that emergency crews began arriving two minutes later. Paramedics set up a triage triage Division of patients for priority of care, usually into three categories: those who will not survive even with treatment; those who will survive without treatment; and those whose survival depends on treatment. area on red blankets in the middle of Arizona Avenue, and ambulances lined up at Arizona and Fourth Street, prepared to transport the injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. to local hospitals. Authorities said many of the victims suffered minor to moderate injuries, including broken limbs, lacerations and internal wounds. Hours after the crash, witnesses remained shaken by what they'd seen. ``I just couldn't believe ... there were babies, elderly people,'' Rony Soussan told KCAL-TV (Channel 9). ``We saw people covered up in blood. It's like a war zone.'' CAPTION(S): 4 photos, box, map Photo: (1 -- color) A paramedic par·a·med·ic n. A person who is trained to give emergency medical treatment or assist medical professionals. paramedic wheels an injured woman to a waiting ambulance in Santa Monica on Wednesday after an elderly driver zoomed through a farmers market, striking people and vendor booths. Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer (2 -- 3 -- color) The scene along Arizona Avenue, above, was one of chaos after an elderly driver plowed through lines of vendor booths, right, and hit dozens of vendors and shoppers at the twice-weekly farmers market. Rain broke out about an hour after the incident, making the area slippery. Jeff Gritchen/Staff Photographer Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer (4 -- color) An injured woman cries out as paramedics wheel her to a waiting ambulance. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News Box: FARMERS MARKET DISASTER Map: 3RD ST. PROMENADE Jon Gerung and Gregg Miller/Staff Artists |
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