YOUTH IS KILLED ON WAY TO SCHOOL AS OTHER TEEN'S CAR RUNS RED LIGHT.

Byline: SUSAN ABRAM Staff Writer

SYLMAR -- A 17-year-old boy was killed early Wednesday and his sister and brother were critically injured when a teenage driver ran a red light and struck the van they were riding in.

Xavier Rene Espinoza, a student at San Fernando High School, his 13- year-old brother and 10-year-old sister were ejected from the Chevy Astro driven by an adult relative, who was injured along with another adult in the van.

None of the children, who were on their way to school, was wearing a seat belt, said Los Angeles Police Detective Bill Bustos.

Their van was struck by a Volkswagon Jetta driven by a 17-year-old who ran a red light at Hubbard Street and Jackman Avenue near San Fernando at 7:25 a.m., Bustos said.

The teen driver's name and gender were not released.

It was unclear how fast the teen was driving, Bustos said. He said further investigations will determine whether the driver will be arrested for reckless driving.

``It's very sad,'' Bustos said. ``It's always very difficult to investigate these traffic collisions.''

Residents in the area say traffic collisions are frequent at the intersection of Jackson and Hubbard, despite the traffic signal. They say motorists drive up Hubbard at fast speeds, especially on the weekends.

Residents also said they had expressed concern to nearby school officials about the intersection because of nearby Osceola Elementary School. In the mornings, mothers walk their young children to school along Hubbard and Envoy streets.

By early afternoon, residents in the area had placed flowers and pillar candles amid pieces of shattered glass at the foot of the traffic light where Espinoza died.

``It's scary on this corner,'' said David Hernandez, a neighbor who stood near the police tape in the morning. ``I just hope I don't know this kid,'' he said before police identified Espinoza.

Another resident who lives on the corner of the intersection said she was in her kitchen when she heard the collision.

She said she saw the children lying in the street and ran to Espinoza, whose body was slumped at the curb. She said he did not appear to be breathing.

``It was a horrible thing to see,'' said the woman, who did not want to be identified.

Sylmar resident Erika Bentley said she saw the crash just seconds after it happened as she drove her children to school.

She said she saw a woman, possibly the children's mother, arrive later.

``You could just hear her scream from across the street,'' Bentley said. ``You could hear her pain.''

The 10-year-old girl was transported to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. All others involved in the crash were taken to nearby hospitals, suffering from injuries ranging from moderate to serious, Bustos said.

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CAPTION(S):

photo, map

Photo:

Police officers investigate a fatal crash involving two cars at Hubbard Street and Jackman Avenue in Mission Hills. The Jetta in the foreground ran a light and slammed into a van, killing one teenager, police said.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer

Map:

Fatal collision