Customer dragged 20-feet to her death when elderly driver hits gas instead of brake at car dealership

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LOS ANGELES - One person is dead and two others injured after a woman driving an SUV struck them at a Toyota car dealership in the San Fernando Valley Wednesday morning, officials said.

Just after 9:10 a.m., first responders were called to Hamer Toyota in the 11000 block of Sepulveda Blvd., near the intersection of San Fernando Mission Road, in the Missions Hills area.

Officials said the woman drove the vehicle into the covered service bay driveway and crashed into a customer reception area within the dealership. It was unclear what caused her to crash through the business, although a police investigator at the scene said the driver mistakenly hit the accelerator instead of the brake.

An official with the Los Angeles Fire Department said that a woman described as a customer at the dealership was briefly trapped beneath the vehicle and was freed by bystanders. She was taken to a hospital in grave condition, but she later died, police said.

Two men who worked at the dealership were also injured, including one with a head wound, but their injuries were considered non-life-threatening, according to the fire department. Both were taken to a hospital in fair condition.

The department said an "elderly" woman who may have accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake drove the SUV into the covered service bay driveway and crashed into a customer reception area within the dealership.

The elderly driver was examined by paramedics but did not appear to be injured and she declined to be taken to a hospital, fire officials said. She remained at the scene and was being interviewed by police. It was unclear if she had been detained or arrested, although police at the scene indicated the crash appeared to be an accident.

A 56-year-old female customer was run over and briefly trapped beneath the vehicle, but was freed by bystanders, including a nurse who began performing CPR on the woman, who was not breathing and had no pulse, fire officials said. That woman was taken to a hospital in grave condition, but she later died, police said.

Her name was not immediately released.

Two men who worked at the dealership were also injured -- a 23-year-old man with an arm laceration and a 35-year-old man with head and foot injuries, according to the fire department. Their injuries were considered non-life-threatening, but both were taken to a hospital in fair to serious condition.

No arrests have been announced and no further information was immediately released.

The investigation is ongoing.

CNS contributed to this report.