Child, 2, Tragically Is First Memorial Weekend Traffic Fatality In Los Angeles County

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CA - The California Highway Patrol today reported one traffic fatality on Los Angeles County highways and roads that occurred during the first 12 hours of this year's Memorial Day weekend.

The reporting period began at 6:01 p.m. Friday and ended at 6 a.m. today. The fatality was a 2-year-old girl killed in a single-vehicle crash that was reported at 8:51 p.m. Friday on Malibu Canyon Road just north of Seaver Road, near Pepperdine University.

During that same period last year, the CHP reported no traffic-related deaths in Los Angeles County.

Statewide, there were seven traffic-related deaths reported this year, compared with last year's total of six.

Statewide, CHP officers arrested 281 motorists on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, down from last year's total of 320.

In Los Angeles County, there were 58 DUI arrests, down from last year's count of 67.

A 22-year-old woman was severely injured in the single-vehicle, rollover crash that claimed the life of the 2-year-old girl. The woman was arrested at the hospital on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to the CHP.

The crash on Malibu Canyon Road was reported at 8:51 p.m. Friday, according to CHP Officer Francisco Villalobos.
The little girl was dead at the scene, Villalobos said. The child's name was withheld pending notification of family.

The driver, later identified by the CHP as Magdalena Lisi of Canoga Park, was severely hurt and transported to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center by helicopter, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department Dispatch Supervisor Robert Diaz and the CHP. There's no word on the woman's current condition.

She was arrested at the hospital while receiving medical care, according to the CHP. The relationship between the woman and the little girl who was also from Canoga Park, was not yet available as of this morning.

According to the CHP accident report, Lisi was driving her 2011 Kia north on Malibu Canyon Road. Her car drifted to the right and veered off the road where it collided with a metal guard rail. Lisi, apparently turned the wheel hard to the left to regain control of the car. Instead the car traveled across the road and struck a hillside on the west side of road.

After hitting the hillside, the car overturned, according to the CHP. The little girl, who was sitting in the right rear seat, sustained fatal injuries in the rollover.

The crash shut down Malibu Canyon Road in both directions, according to Villalobos. A SigAlert was declared by the CHP at 9:12 p.m. The road was finally cleared and the SigAlert cancelled at 1:19 a.m., according to Villalobos. The crash remained under investigation by the CHP.

Also see:

• Brace Yourself If Flying Over Holiday Weekend: LAX Predicts Record Numbers
• L.A., Area CHP Officers Gear Up for DUI, Seatbelt Crackdown Over Memorial Weekend
• Holiday Road: If Traveling Memorial Day Weekend, You DEFINITELY Won't Be Alone!

--City News Service contributed to this report/Shutterstock image