Community Comes Together to Remember 18-Year-Old Lost in South LA Vehicle Collision

Family Mourns Loss of 18-Year-Old in South Los Angeles Crash

An 18-year-old man from Mexico has tragically lost his life in a multi-vehicle accident in South Los Angeles. The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon at the intersection of Vermont Avenue and 97th Street in the Westmont area, just three blocks from where Juan Manuel Sanchez Salas lived.

According to reports, Sanchez Salas had moved to the United States less than a year ago to reunite with his father, who had relocated to California for work. The family’s hopes were to eventually return to Mexico together.

"I did not know that he had just left home. He came to eat, and then he left, heading towards Vermont," said Maria Sanchez, Juan Manuel’s cousin.

Sanchez Salas was noted by family members as a responsible and cheerful individual. "He was pretty cool. I know he was a really hardworking guy," Maria reflected. "He would go to school, to the gym, and then go to work. He used to cut hair as well."

The California Highway Patrol reported that the crash was initiated by a speeding driver in a Suburban around 2 p.m. on Tuesday. The driver reportedly crashed into a traffic pole and an Audi before flipping over and colliding with several vehicles, including Sanchez Salas’s car. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Juan Manuel’s mother and two siblings remain in Mexico, while his father is now alone in the U.S.

"We are deeply saddened by his passing. He had many ambitious goals, and it hurts that he couldn’t accomplish most of them," Maria Sanchez said. "We really want justice for what happened because it wouldn’t be fair to let it be, and nothing is done."

CHP investigators revealed that the driver responsible for the crash is in his 70s and may have experienced a medical emergency. He and his passenger are currently hospitalized in critical condition.