FATAL RED LIGHT BOY EJECTED FROM CAR AND KILLED IN CRASH.

Byline: Alex Dobuzinskis Staff Writer

GRANADA HILLS - A boy was ejected from a car and killed Monday when the driver of the car in which he was riding ran a red light and collided with an SUV, police said.

The collision between the Hyundai Sonata and Chevrolet Suburban sounded like a cannon blast to Kevin Gray, who lives at Gothic Avenue and Rinaldi Street.

``I came out seconds after it happened,'' said Gray, 52. ``There was a child that was between the sidewalk and the house and he was bleeding pretty profusely at that time.''

The child, who was 9 or 10, was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the Hyundai, officials said. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

``The smaller vehicle was coming southbound here on Gothic and apparently ran the red light and was struck by the larger vehicle, the SUV,'' Los Angeles police Deputy Chief Michel Moore said.

The collision happened at about 4:40 p.m. It was raining as police surveyed the scene of the collision, but investigators were unsure if weather was a factor in the crash.

Officials said the crash sent the eastbound SUV careening into a streetlight, which toppled into the roadway. The SUV came to a rest on the sidewalk.

Police would not say how many people were involved, but Gray said he saw four people in the Suburban and three in the car.

Alex Dobuzinskis, [phone]

alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

photo, map

Photo:

City workers survey and begin to repair damage caused to a traffic light by a fatal car crash on the corner of Rinaldi Street and Gothic Avenue in Granada Hills on Monday. A boy of 9 or 10 was killed in the crash.

Alex Collins/Special to the Daily News

Map:

Accident site