In the early hours of Saturday, July 19, a driver in a gray Nissan Versa intentionally mounted the sidewalk outside The Vermont Hollywood nightclub on Santa Monica Boulevard at around 2 a.m., striking more than 30 pedestrians waiting in line near a taco stand and valet station.
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) reported at least 30 injuries, including seven critically and six seriously hurt, with all victims expected to survive. The collision also overturned a taco cart and destroyed a valet podium. According to police and witness reports, a fight had erupted inside the club prior to the crash.
The driver, later identified by the LAPD as 29‑year‑old Fernando Ramirez of Long Beach, was forcibly removed from his vehicle by enraged bystanders. While the crowd confronted him, someone shot Ramirez—he survived and was hospitalized before being arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. The shooter remains unidentified.
Mayor Karen Bass expressed gratitude for the swift emergency response—more than 100 LAPD and LAFD personnel tackled the chaotic event and evacuated the injured. She called it a “heartbreaking tragedy” and said a comprehensive investigation is underway.
That same evening, local neighborhood councils, transportation safety advocates, and City Councilmember Maria Hernandez convened a Vision Zero emergency task force to address pedestrian safety on Santa Monica Boulevard. The group committed to installing protective bollards, widening sidewalks, reconfiguring pedestrian signals with leading pedestrian intervals, and implementing other traffic-calming measures in partnership with the City of Los Angeles—all within the next 90 days.
Vision Zero, a street‑safety campaign aiming to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries, has been part of LA’s strategy since 2015, though pedestrian deaths have fluctuated. The enhancements planned mirror those seen in other corridor projects, which include raised crosswalks, signal optimizations, and physical barriers to shield pedestrians.
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Councilmember Hernandez stated: “We are fortunate no lives were lost, but what happened today must never happen again. Our focus is clear: protect our sidewalks and prioritize people first.”
Santa Monica Boulevard has a history of pedestrian safety incidents, with collisions occurring in recent years. Previous Vision Zero initiatives in Los Angeles have included safety upgrades around school zones and high‑injury corridors. However, progress has sometimes lagged, prompting recent audits and renewed community pressure.
Precedent exists in the City of Santa Monica, where a similar crash on Wilshire Boulevard in Summer 2022 prompted installation of high‑visibility beacons, curb extensions, and bus‑stop re‑designs. Such infrastructure is expected to act as a model for the East Hollywood project.
In collaboration with community groups, local schools quickly organized pedestrian safety workshops aimed at students and parents. These sessions cover safe street crossings, awareness of vehicle blind spots, and the importance of roadway discipline. Advocates hope that combining physical infrastructure with education will reduce both unintentional and intentional accidents.
Stakeholders emphasized that momentum from this incident must drive tangible results. Proposed enhancements include fixed and flexible bollards along sidewalks to prevent vehicles from mounting curbs, strategic widening of sidewalks near high‑foot‑traffic zones, upgraded pedestrian signals introducing leading‑interval green lights, enhanced visibility at crosswalks with repainting and reflective markers, and ongoing community monitoring to assess the effectiveness of interventions.
City and local officials have pledged to report progress during weekly updates. Transparency in deployment of funds and accountability for timeline delivery were highlighted as priorities.
While the absence of fatalities is a relief, the ramming attack on July 19 lays bare the vulnerability of pedestrians in nightlife hubs. The coordinated emergency response—from first responders to the City’s Vision Zero team and grassroots safety advocates—marks a critical step toward rethinking street design and public safety. If implemented successfully, the East Hollywood upgrades could set a precedent for safer pedestrian spaces across Los Angeles.
For full details on the incident and city response see the Reuters coverage of the event.
Source: Reuters