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Witness: 'Bodies flying everywhere'
SANTA MONICA, California (AP) -- Witnesses said victims were hurled through the air as a car smashed through a crowded farmers' market Wednesday. "It was like a hurricane just came down the center of the street," said Megan Sheehy, general manager of a nearby restaurant. Eight people were killed -- including a 3-year-old girl -- and more than 40 injured. (Full story) Police said the driver was in his 80s but did not release his name. Butts said the man was taken to a hospital for a blood test and initial results found no traces of alcohol. Witnesses said the 1992 Buick was moving very fast down the three downtown blocks of Arizona Avenue that were closed for the street market. "Sixty miles per hour and it wasn't slowing down. It was flying. And then people down, dead and everything," said David Lang, manager of a shoe store along the market route. "I heard a car just hit, bang, bang, bang," said Mojgan Pour, 38. "I heard people screaming. By the time I looked, I never even saw the car. I tried to help a man and he died while I was helping him." Bahram Manahedgi, 50, said one person was on the hood of the car when it finally came to rest, and a woman was crushed beneath it. Manahedgi said that when he went to pull the driver out, "he was an old man. His eyes were open and he was alive. I said, 'Do you know what the hell you did?' He said, 'No.' I just opened the door, I pulled him out." A crowd gathered around the car and "wanted to beat him up," Manahedgi said. "I said, 'He's an old man, leave him alone."' The car was extensively damaged, including a smashed front end and windshield. What appeared to be shoes were on its roof. David Allwas told KABC-TV by telephone that the driver of the car looked like he might be having a heart attack. "His arm was straight on the wheel and his body was stiff," Allwas said. He said he saw as many as 12 people bleeding and injured. "You just have to pray because I saw this little girl get CPR and I saw this other woman who I think died," Allwas said. Ronald Gaba was working inside Acadie restaurant on Arizona Street when he heard screams from the sidewalk. "During the time, there was a lot of crying," Gaba said. "I came outside and saw one body covered by a cloth. I can't describe what is happening, it's something I've never seen before." Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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