Safety upgrades coming to Olympic and Overland
By Sam Catanzaro
Last month a teenager driving a Lamborghini was arrested for vehicular manslaughter after fatal collision in Rancho Park. Now safety improvements are coming to the intersection intended to prevent future tragedies.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, on February 17 around 5:10 p.m., a black Lamborghini SUV was traveling eastbound on Olympic Boulevard when it collided with a silver, four-door, Lexus traveling westbound on Olympic Boulevard in Rancho Park, negotiating a left turn to proceed southbound on Overland Avenue.
The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the scene and immediately rendered aid to the driver of the Lexus. Unfortunately, the driver, 32-year-old Monique Munoz, succumbed to her injuries and died at the scene.
The male, juvenile driver of the Lamborghini was transported to a local hospital where he was admitted for medical attention. On February 23, he was booked for vehicular manslaughter. The case will proceed through the judicial process. The family of Muñoz has been demanding that the 17-year-old be charged as an adult.
In the wake of the incident, Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz has announced that safety improvements will be coming to the intersection of Overland Avenue and Pico Boulevard intended to prevent such crashes in the future.
“While it shouldn’t take a tragedy to make our streets safer, Councilmember Koretz and his staff are grateful to LADOT for their promptness in initiating the permanent installation of Westbound and Eastbound turn signals at that intersection,” reads a recent newsletter from the Concilmember.
According to his office, LADOT is determined to complete the project in 4 to 6 weeks, a fast turn around time.
“Typically, traffic signal upgrades are designed to go out to bid and take approximately two years to complete,” Koretz said.
