HEY BESTIE: My partner of seven years did not know my name, should I be concerned? When filling out an online form I have inserted an extra middle name that I do not have. How can he be so oblivious after so many years, am I overreacting?
There are some things that can be considered deal breakers in relationships and some things that aren’t. What I am hearing you ask is whether this is a dealbreaker for you and whether this should be a concern for the relationship.
There are often things within a relationship that are more important to one partner than they are to the other. For example, you might be the type of person who genuinely loves to know things about others, including about your partner.
Middle name, place of birth, time of birth, parents and grandparent details and even potentially the name of the street your partner grew up on.
Your partner on the other hand, might place less importance on some of the things listed above, and might place more importance on other aspects of the relationship such as providing regular compliments to you, cuddling on the couch while watching TV, being engaging around family and friends, and making amazing meals for you to share.
When he doesn’t remember your middle name for a form, does this mean that he loves you any less? Probably not.
It could simply be a matter of lesser importance for him. Some people are forgetful, and some people don’t pay attention to the minor details of things.
Now, if you explain to him the importance of why you want him to know this information and he actively chooses not to retain that information that might be another story.
With regard to you asking if you are overreacting, ask yourself why him not knowing your middle name bothers you. It might be something more serious than a forgotten middle name.
When in doubt, have a conversation with him about the things you both feel are important to know about in a relationship—communicate with each other. Because after all, communication is the cornerstone to an amazing relationship.
From a relationship perspective, there are things that tend to make or break a relationship, I don’t feel as though this is one of them. Try not to take it personally as it probably was not personal.
your bestie,
amanda xx
Amanda Lambros is a sexologist and relationship coach with almost two decades of experience who takes pride in her “no bs” approach to solving your problems. She is also a certified speaking professional and has written several books on relationships, health and business which have sold more than 150,000 copies.
Do you have a question for Amanda? Email [email protected] (don’t worry, we won’t publish your name!)
Controversial former Port Adelaide player Kane Cornes has blasted West Coast and Adam Simpson for letting professional standards at the club slip and says they should introduce disciplinary punishments for “overweight” players.
In his exclusive column for The West Australian, Cornes said the Eagles must take a hard line on professional standards as part of their coming rebuild.
“(Adam) Simpson has let professional standards slip at West Coast. He is not hard enough on his players, such as (Elliot) Yeo. Too many have taken liberties,” he said.
Cornes criticized star midfielder Yeo after the Eagles’ round six defeat against his former side at Adelaide Oval, where he was also concussed, claiming he was visibly unfit.
And he did not hold back in this week’s column, saying his weight issues and lack of training are why he has spent much of the year on the sidelines.
“The midfielder has had yet another season ruined by persistent soft-tissue issues that are the result of poor preparation and a lack of training,” he said.
“There is no excuse for a full-time, highly paid professional athlete to present in an unfit state. It is now critical for clubs to have the power to sanction players for failing to meet professional standards.”
He also said superstar Nic Naitanui, who has struggled with persistent knee injuries over the last five seasons, looked heavier than at any other point of his career and noted Jeremy McGovern had struggled to meet body fat and weight requirements in the past.
Nic Naitanui has also been blasted for appearing overweight. Credit: Will Russell/AFL Pictures
“It is time for the clubs to claw back the balance of power in contract negotiations,” he said.
“The balance of power in negotiating player contracts has shifted tellingly in favor of the players since the AFL introduced free agency at the end of the 2012 season.”
In America’s hugely successful NBA, the New Orleans Pelicans have done just that with their injury-prone star Zion Williamson.
Williamson recently signed a maximum five-year contract extension valued at $193 million, but the club added a “professional standards” clause that demands he regularly weigh in.
Zion Williamson has a professional standards clause in his new contract. Credit: Steve Dykes/Getty Images
If his body fat and overall weight fall out of a specific range, the Pelicans will have the power to slash the 22-year-old’s salary.
The clause was brought in with Williamson managing just 85 games in his first three 72-match seasons due to injury, including all of the 2021-22 season with a broken foot.
Essendon also enacted a similar clause in Jake Stringer’s latest contract after he admitted carrying an extra eight kilograms derailed his 2020 campaign.
A Russian billionaire suing Australia’s foreign claims minister sanctions imposed over the invasion of the Ukraine have caused him severe reputational damage.
Steel mogul Alexander Abramov launched legal action against Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong after the former government’s April sanctioning of 67 Russian elites and oligarchs over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The sanctions caused severe reputational harm and the legal consequences have led to continuing financial losses, his lawyer Ron Merkel QC told the Federal Court today.
A Russian billionaire is suing Foreign Minister Penny Wong. (The Age/Joe Armao)
He wants the sanctions to be removed, arguing they’re unique to Australia as no other country has placed similar bans on Abramov, who co-founded Russia’s largest steel producer, Evraz.
“Our real point here is the approach the minister has taken is misconceived,” he said.
Australia’s sanctions have also impacted Abramov’s dealings in New Zealand, Merkel said.
He said the case was unusual as public announcements by former foreign minister Marise Payne, explaining her decision, would form part of the suit.
On April 7, Payne announced the government had decided to impose “targeted financial sanctions and travel bans” on 67 individuals “for their role in Russia’s unprovoked, unjust and illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
Shelter takes in animals haunted by horrors of war
Those sanctioned included Russian military, business and government officials.
Wong is represented by barrister Brendan Lim.
The federal government is considering an application to prevent public release of some information in the court documents, he said.
The matter will return before Justice Susan Kenny on August 26.
A fiery multi-car crash left five dead, including a pregnant woman and an infant, in Los Angeles’ Windsor Hills neighborhood Thursday, according to authorities.
Eight people were also injured in the crash at La Brea and Slauson avenues. The LA County Fire Department responded to the crash just after 1:40 pm
Officer Franco Pepi, a California Highway Patrol spokesperson, said Thursday afternoon that three adults, including a pregnant woman, and an infant were killed in the crash.
Authorities later found another person’s remains inside one of the burned vehicles, he said. That person’s gender or age weren’t known Thursday night.
The pregnant woman also lost her unborn child, which the CHP was counting as an additional fatality “due to rare circumstances,” Pepi said.
Law enforcement officials investigate a fiery crash in which multiple people were killed in Windsor Hills on Thursday afternoon.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Authorities took eight people to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center for treatment, he said. Of those injured, six were teens and one suffered major injuries.
Surveillance video of the crash shows a Mercedes-Benz barreling down La Brea at high speed as dozens of cars cross the intersection on Slauson. The Mercedes runs a red light and slams into cars in the intersection, then bursts into flames and hurtles into a light pole, where it comes to rest.
After the crash, a streak of fire burns on the ground.
Smoke could be seen billowing from miles away.
Police believe the driver of a Mercedes-Benz caused the crash.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
A woman who did not want to be named told The Times a Mercedes-Benz hit her car as she was leaving a United Oil gas station.
“I was getting out, had got gas,” she said. “All of a sudden that Mercedes is coming at me on… fire. I didn’t have any time to think about it. It hit my car. I veered, hit the bench on the side.”
The crash caused her to fear a gasoline-fueled explosion, she told The Times.
Nearby, the wrecked Mercedes-Benz with a smashed hood had crashed into a curb.
Investigators believe the driver of the Mercedes-Benz was responsible for the crash, Pepi said.
A pregnant woman was among those killed in Thursday afternoon’s crash in Windsor Hills.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
The cause of the crash was not immediately known, but the CHP spokesperson said investigators determined the Mercedes was traveling “at a high rate of speed” and ran a red light while traveling southbound on La Brea.
The driver has been identified only as a female adult, Pepi said.
The woman was hospitalized but was conscious and speaking with CHP investigators Thursday night, he said, adding that he did not know the extent of her injuries.
At least six vehicles were involved in the crash, three of which were engulfed in flames, Pepi said. The others sustained moderate damage.
Put another way, the RBA is presenting a certain solution (sharply higher rates) to an extremely uncertain prospective problem (inflation expectations) and destroying its optionality in doing so.
Even one of the RBA’s key board members, Treasury Secretary Steven Kennedy, says there is no real evidence of a wage-driven inflation problem and that most of Australia’s inflation is supply-side induced.
The concern is that one casualty of the RBA’s pre-emptive increases is the hope that Australian workers can finally secure wage growth of 3-4 per cent annually that is required to maintain inflation sustainably within the RBA’s target band.
If the inflation we are experiencing is predominantly driven by supply-side factors, as Kennedy claims, trying to crush it by suffocating demand could have deleterious long-term consequences for the labor market.
There is undoubtedly merit in firmly jawboning inflation expectations with the specter of a tough monetary policy posture, which is precisely what the RBA is doing.
But after promising not to lift rates until 2024 – which the RBA explicitly set in stone by establishing a never-before-seen 0.1 per cent yield curve target for the 2024 Commonwealth bond – it is suddenly reckless to smash the economy with more than 200 basis points of rate increases in just four months on the basis of a perceived risk the RBA has no conviction in. (That 200 basis points assumes we get another 25-50-basis point increase next month.)
Luxury property hits
Beyond consumer demand, another real-time casualty is, of course, the housing market, which this column has discussed at length.
I constantly come across real estate agents claiming how resilient “luxury” real estate is. There are numerous narratives bandied around, but the key message is that the top end of the market is “insulated” from the woes experienced across cheaper sectors.
This is completely inconsistent with our understanding of how luxury real estate behaves based on the available data. It is characteristically much more illiquid, procyclical, and tends to be more volatile than the mass market. It is also typically much more sensitive to big shifts in financial markets, which means that it normally leads the cheaper segments.
Luxury housing is once again getting smashed harder and earlier than less expensive sectors. Domain
Since December 2021, global equities have been smashed, crypto has lost more than 70 per cent of its value, fixed income has suffered record losses and house prices have been falling at a double-digit annualized pace. It would be hard to imagine that luxury housing would be immune to these moves.
A team I established in 2003 created CoreLogic’s daily “hedonic” house price indices, which was a global first at the time. One additional innovation we developed was a “stratified” version of these benchmarks that broke the housing market up into “cheap”, “mid-priced” and “expensive” areas. More specifically, CoreLogic city indices are divided into three sub-categories: the cheapest 25 per cent of properties; the middle 50 per cent; and the most expensive 25 per cent.
Examining the performance of these stratified indices over the past six months, it appears that this cycle is no different: luxury housing is once again getting smashed harder and earlier than less expensive sectors. In Sydney, the most expensive homes started declining in value in January well ahead of the cheapest properties, which only began falling in April. In Melbourne, luxury dwellings peaked last November while the bottom end of the market held ground until May. A similar story is evident across all the eight capital cities.
CoreLogic’s head of research, Tim Lawless, confirms this analysis, commenting that the most expensive areas are materially underperforming less expensive homes. In Sydney, for example, luxury home values have fallen by 6.3 per cent over the past three months in contrast to the cheapest 25 per cent of properties, which have only declined by 1.7 per cent. In Melbourne, expensive homes have lost 4.5 per cent in the last quarter compared to just 1.2 per cent for the cheapest dwellings. And in cities such as Adelaide and Perth, where prices have risen over the past three months, the top end of the market has performed worst.
Appetite for bonds
The bond market is one area where much higher interest rates are now being welcomed (after a painful price adjustment).
Last week this column discussed NAB’s five-year, BBB+ rated Tier 2 bond, which paid an interest rate of 6.44 per cent annually, higher than the franked dividend yield on Aussie equities. NAB printed $1.25 billion from $2.4 billion of investor demand (we bid for $200 million).
The bond has since performed strongly, as evidenced by its credit spread tightening some 31 basis points, which pushed its price much higher. This presumably convinced ANZ to capitalize on the investor appetite for these securities with a similar five-year, Tier 2 bond issue on Wednesday that secured $3 billion of demand despite a lower 5.9 per cent yield. Once again, the $1.75 billion bond has performed well, with its credit spread tightening immediately after the deal printed by 17 basis points (we bid for $250 million).
Higher up the capital stack, Westpac issued an AA-rated, three-year senior bond on Thursday with a 4 per cent annual interest rate that quickly galvanized $3.7 billion of investor bids (we bid for $100 million). Post issue, this promptly tightened some seven basis points in spread terms.
On the same day, UK bank NatWest hit the Aussie market with its first-ever bond issue via a $600 million, A-rated, three-year senior-ranking security that paid a 5 per cent yield (we bid for $100 million). This also promptly tightened 17 basis points on its first day. For credit markets, these are big moves!
Finally, the Victorian government also got in on the action on Thursday, issuing an AA-rated, 11-year bond paying 3.83 per cent in annual interest, which secured $3.7 billion in bids and immediately performed. This offered a chunky, 68-basis point spread above Commonwealth bonds. The demand from local banks to buy state government bonds as a liquid asset has been so strong that Victoria has been able to issue $12 billion of debt since its May 3 budget, completing 56 per cent of its total $21.3 billion funding task for 2023 in three months (ie leaving them only $9.3 billion to issue).
So the silver lining of much higher interest rates is new opportunities. In late 2021, we were extremely negative on our own asset class: specifically, credit spreads and interest rate duration risk. With fully-franked Aussie equities only yielding 6.3 per cent, bank bonds paying similar interest rates appear much more appealing right now.
The Samsung range of phones can be daunting to approach, so let Canstar Blue unpack the best overall, small, and budget phones.
Samsung has worked its way into not just being a competitor of Apple’s iPhone series, but hosting its own viable smartphone range. Since 2009, the Samsung smartphones have been getting stronger, quicker, as well as pulling away from iPhone with their own unique features. So let Canstar Blue run through the best overall, best small, and best budget Samsung Phone to make your decision that much easier.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra – the best overall Samsung phone
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is the current top of the range at the time of writing, and there’s plenty of reasons why.
The 6.8-inch body of the Galaxy S22 Ultra comes in storage capacities of 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and a massive one terabyte. The device comes in Burgundy, Green, Phantom White, and Phantom Black, however thanks to the online exclusives range, the S22 Ultra is also available in Graphite, Sky Blue, and Red.
The 4nm chip is Samsung’s processing weapon, which allows for stunningly clear photos, optimized scrolling, and a smooth gaming experience. The 120Hz adaptive refresh rate helps to keep the glare-resistant display running smooth. Super Fast Charging and Wireless PowerShare mean you can charge your own device incredibly fast, as well as harnessing the ability to give your friends a boost.
The S22 Ultra’s camera shines in the darkness, with an incredibly strong low-light mode. This pairs well with its top-of-the-range zoom feature, as well as a 108MP main sensor.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Plans
The following table shows selected published 24-month plans for the Galaxy S22 on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our tool for mobile phone plan comparison to see a wider range of plans from other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.
Samsung Galaxy S22+ Plans
The following table shows selected published 24-month plans for the Samsung Galaxy S22+ on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our tool for mobile phone plan comparison to see a wider range of plans from other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Plans
The following table shows selected published 24-month plans for the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our tool for mobile phone plan comparison to see a wider range of plans from other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.
Samsung Galaxy S22 – the best small Samsung phone
Apple is a bit of an anomaly when it comes to the small phone range, given most other brands don’t delve into that market. In terms of Samsung phones, the Galaxy S22 is your best bet at a small phone. It may not be tiny, but it’s smaller than other Samsung phones.
The 6.1-inch screen fits well in an adult hand, with storage capacities of 128GB and 256GB available. Its screen has the same 120Hz adaptive refresh rate that features on the Galaxy S22 Ultra making for smooth and seamless scrolling.
The cameras are certainly a step down from the S22 Ultra, however. A 50MP main sensor is a significant downgrade from the S22 Ultra’s 108MP, while the ultra-wide and telephoto sensors are a nice inclusion. The processing power of the S22 bats above its weight, however the S22 may be a better option if size, or lack thereof, is important to you.
Samsung Galaxy A33 5G – the best budget Samsung phone
Arguably the most crucial category with the cost of living, the best budget Samsung phone is the Galaxy A33 5G. As its name suggests, the A33 is 5G compatible, ushering in the new era of superfast connection. Its Octa-core processor ensures multi-tasking is a breeze, and 128GB of storage is a major plus, with an extra 1TB possible through its microSD card port.
The A33 5G is also exceptionally water and dust-resistant, meaning its 6.4-inch display can be submerged under one meter of water for 30 minutes and still be operable. The screen takes a slight hit compared to the S22 range, with a 90Hz display refresh.
The four-camera photography system means there’s a lens for every situation, however the quality may not be up to scratch compared to the S22 Ultra or newer iPhones. A 48MP main camera is nothing to turn your nose up at however. On a budget, the A33 5G does incredibly well.
Which Samsung phones are currently available to purchase?
Samsung has a wide range of smartphones available to purchase, which are as follows:
Galaxy S22
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Galaxy S22+
Galaxy Z Flip3 5G
Galaxy 21FE 5G
Galaxy A73 5G
Galaxy A53 5G
Galaxy A33 5G
Galaxy A23
Galaxy A13
Galaxy A32
Galaxy A22 5G
Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
Galaxy A52s 5G
Galaxy A52
Which Samsung phone should I buy?
Much like many other big purchases, the Samsung phone that’s right for you is dependent on a variety of factors. Setting a budget is important, and valuing what’s crucial to you as a user can save a lot of stress in the future. As always, setting aside time to truly assess what works for you is the most important part in the purchasing process.
Lately, whenever my son and I are driving in the car, I put down all four windows and cry “wind bomb!” It’s a new game I invented, where the winner is the person who has the last window to go up.
Spoiler alert: it’s usually his window.
I love fun! Fun is a big part of who I am. So — why is it that I can’t stand imaginary play or role play of any sorts?
Go on the trampoline with him, sure. Boardgames, love too.
I recently even mimicked a scene from the show Is It Cake? for my son’s fifth birthday — I positioned six plates around the table with bananas on them. One of the bananas is actually a cake.
Yet when my son asks: “Do you want to play with me?” Inside, I cringe. Outwardly, I probably cringe too.
Is it real or is it cake? I’m happy to play games with real life props. One of these is a cake made by Alisha Rose Sweets.(Supplied: Mikki Cusack)
Why do I hate it so much?
If I dread imaginary play so much, is there something wrong with me? I sought an explanation from the millennial parenting whisperer Becky Kennedy.
Based in the US, the clinical psychologist is best known as Dr Becky, parenting expert and podcast host.
She reassures me: “it’s OK to not like play.”
Phew. But what does that mean, and what can I do about it.
“Do you want to be this one, or this one?” my son asks me, holding up two of his toys from him.
In his mind, there is only one right answer: I always play his least favorite transformer toy, Boulder the Rescue Bot.
Imaginary play feels stiff, and it bores me. I’m not sure why I don’t enjoy it, but I really, really don’t.
My heart races. Time stands still, and I feel as though it’s Groundhog day, with a dictator at the helm.
“Nothing is wrong with you,” says Dr Becky. “Realizing that it’s okay to not like play, or pretend play is the single most important thing that will help you engage in more play.”
“That’s the number one thing that will help you engage in it more easily.”
Dr Becky Kennedy, clinical psychologist, mother of three, and founder of the breakthrough global parenting community, Good Inside.((Supplied: Melanie Dunea) )
It’s all about boundaries
Play matters to kids, and it’s important for their development and early education so it’s about finding the right way — and right time — to make play work for you and your family.
Jumping into play is all well and good, if you have the time and energy. But as many parents experience, much of the time you’re tired, burnt out and have a million other things to do.
We can’t all be a Bandit Heeler from Bluey.
“You’re allowed to not play with your kid,” Dr Becky says.
“You can say you’re not available.”
One tip for parents is to set time limits on how long they can play for. We all go about our everyday business doing things that we don’t like to do. It’s true — I hate cleaning, but I still do it.
I try it out. “I can play for 10 minutes today,” I say. It doesn’t sit well with him, and I duck a few blocks to the head.
I try again: “I love playing with you, but that’s all the time I have today. I’m sorry, I wish it was longer too!” This works better.
Putting your phone away is also crucial. Think about it — if you’re talking to someone who has their head slumped down checking social media, how would you feel? If you were out with your mate, and they constantly checked their phone, would you feel annoyed?
It’s hard not to resonate with this tip. We’ve all felt annoyed by someone on their phone.
Building my play muscle
My son loves role play so I want to find a way to make it work for us both.
There are various strategies and ways to approach play, and I’ve tried following Dr Becky’s suggestion that I try to repurpose play for myself.
scene: We’re sitting outside and we have just crash landed onto a desert island where a giant anaconda lives.
“Water, food and shelter.” That’s what I tell my five-year-old we need.
My mind is searching for what the other thing humans need to survive but I can’t remember. I need to wrap this game up somehow.
“Mayday, mayday — SOS,” I shout.Eventually, we are “rescued”, I can wrap up the game and breathe a sigh of relief.
Later, I turned the pretend play into a lesson. We learned together that ‘mayday’ is derived from the French word m’aider which translates loosely to ‘help me’. After that, we practiced how to make an SOS signal by tapping with our fingers on the kitchen bench.
By bringing learning and information into the role play, I found it more tolerable.
So next time he asks me to play, I will try not to scream: “MAYDAY, MAYDAY!” but instead think of the French meaning, and look at the situation how I can help met both mine, and my child’s needs.
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Brisbane captain Dayne Zorko says he’d “love” to have Buddy Franklin at the Lions in 2023.
Nine’s Michael Atkinson broke the news on Thursday evening that Brisbane had emerged as the shock frontrunner to land the signature of the 35-year-old superstar, who has been at the Swans since 2014.
Atkinson reported that Franklin has informed the Swans he will leave at the end of this season, with he and wife Jesinta wanting to move closer to family on the Gold Coast.
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Any potential deal with Brisbane wouldn’t be confirmed until the trade period after the grand finale.
Speaking on Radio 4BC, Zorko said the four-time Coleman Medal winner would be more than welcome at the Lions.
“Obviously they all seem to be rumors at the moment, but it’s very exciting if that was the case,” he said.
“You’d love to play with one of the greats of the game, there’s no doubt about it.
“There’s plenty of water to go under the bridge on that front, he might be able to squeeze into the backline somewhere!”
Lance Franklin could be on the move in 2023. (Getty)
Swans boss Tom Harley continues to maintain negotiations with the star forward are tracking well, but stopped short of confirming that Franklin would re-sign.
“We’ve been pretty consistent all along, there’s nothing to announce but there’s nothing untoward at the same time,” Harley told Radio 3AW.
“I know that Lance is absolutely locked in with his football at the moment, I appreciate that everyone would love an answer, but there’s no hurry from our point of view, and no hurry from Lance’s point of view.
“Things are all tracking well.”
But pressed to give a yes or no answer on whether or not Franklin would be in Sydney colors in 2023, Harley hedged his bets.
“I’m trying not to be flippant about it, we’re working our way through all of that and we’ve love for Lance to play for as long as he wants to keep playing.”
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Commonwealth Games in pictures: Canada player shown straight red card for ‘choking’ opponent
A 36-year-old man is facing multiple charges over a fatal head-on crash that killed a three-year-old boy on the Sunshine Coast earlier this year.
The Coolum man has been charged with two counts each of dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death or grievous bodily harm, drug driving and driver failing to restrain a child under four.
Police allege the man was driving a silver Mitsubishi Pajero on the Sunshine Motorway on May 30, when it and a Mazda CX-9 heading north collided.
Two three-year-old passengers — a boy and a girl — were in the back of the four-wheel-drive at the time.
The boy child suffered critical injuries and died in the Sunshine Coast University Hospital the next day.
The man and the female child sustained minor injuries.
The 38-year-old woman driving the second vehicle and her 12-year-old passenger suffered serious and significant injuries.
They were released from hospital yesterday.
A four-year-old boy in the Mazda also had minor injuries.
The man was granted police bail and will appear in Maroochydore Magistrates Court on August 26.
A fiery multi-car crash left five dead, including a pregnant woman and an infant, in Los Angeles’ Windsor Hills neighborhood Thursday, according to authorities.
Eight people were also injured in the crash at La Brea and Slauson avenues. The LA County Fire Department responded to the crash just after 1:40 pm
Officer Franco Pepi, a California Highway Patrol spokesperson, said Thursday afternoon that three adults, including a pregnant woman, and an infant were killed in the crash.
Authorities later found another person’s remains inside one of the burned vehicles, he said. That person’s gender or age weren’t known Thursday night.
The pregnant woman also lost her unborn child, which the CHP was counting as an additional fatality “due to rare circumstances,” Pepi said.
Law enforcement officials investigate a fiery crash in which multiple people were killed in Windsor Hills on Thursday afternoon.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Authorities took eight people to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center for treatment, he said. Of those injured, six were teens and one suffered major injuries.
Surveillance video of the crash shows a Mercedes-Benz barreling down La Brea at high speed as dozens of cars cross the intersection on Slauson. The Mercedes runs a red light and slams into cars in the intersection, then bursts into flames and hurtles into a light pole, where it comes to rest.
After the crash, a streak of fire burns on the ground.
Smoke could be seen billowing from miles away.
Police believe the driver of a Mercedes-Benz caused the crash.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
A woman who did not want to be named told The Times a Mercedes-Benz hit her car as she was leaving a United Oil gas station.
“I was getting out, had got gas,” she said. “All of a sudden that Mercedes is coming at me on… fire. I didn’t have any time to think about it. It hit my car. I veered, hit the bench on the side.”
The crash caused her to fear a gasoline-fueled explosion, she told The Times.
Nearby, the wrecked Mercedes-Benz with a smashed hood had crashed into a curb.
Investigators believe the driver of the Mercedes-Benz was responsible for the crash, Pepi said.
A pregnant woman was among those killed in Thursday afternoon’s crash in Windsor Hills.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
The cause of the crash was not immediately known, but the CHP spokesperson said investigators determined the Mercedes was traveling “at a high rate of speed” and ran a red light while traveling southbound on La Brea.
The driver has been identified only as a female adult, Pepi said.
The woman was hospitalized but was conscious and speaking with CHP investigators Thursday night, he said, adding that he did not know the extent of her injuries.
At least six vehicles were involved in the crash, three of which were engulfed in flames, Pepi said. The others sustained moderate damage.
