Wreck Injures Girl, 6, in School Car Pool

VAN NUYS — A car carrying three children on their way to school collided with a truck Monday morning, leaving a 6-year-old girl with serious internal injuries.

The girl, who was airlifted to UCLA Medical Center, was upgraded from critical to stable condition by Monday afternoon. She suffered damage to her liver, according to police. Five others involved in the accident, including the girl’s mother, were treated for minor injuries, police said.

Reyna Funez, 41, of Van Nuys, was driving her daughter and two other children to Hazeltine Elementary School at about 7:55 a.m., heading north on Hazeltine Avenue. As Funez was turning left onto Hamlin Street, police said, her Honda was struck by a Ford truck heading south.

The Honda, in turn, hit a third car stopped on Hamlin Street, police said. The driver of the third car was treated for minor injuries at the scene.

Because the Honda’s doors were caved in, emergency crews pried apart the roof to reach the occupants.

The girl suffered cuts and internal bleeding, said Officer Gerald Madera of the Valley Traffic Division. Her mother was treated for cuts to the face at UCLA Medical Center and released.

A 6-year-old boy and 7-year-old girl in the back seat suffered cuts to the face, with the girl also treated for a fractured left wrist, Madera said.

The driver of the truck, Heraclio Rodriguez, 40, of Van Nuys suffered minor injuries but was being kept overnight at the Sherman Way campus of Northridge Hospital Medical Center so doctors could monitor an erratic heartbeat, Madera said.

No charges will be filed against any of the drivers.

“It was just an accident, not reckless driving,” Madera said. “When [Funez] made the left turn, she never saw the truck coming, and [Rodriguez] never had a chance to react.”