Fiery crash kills daughter, mother in critical condition
Gilani Taylor fighting for her life
BOYLE HEIGHTS, Calif.—The father of a 27-year-old woman rescued from a fiery crash that killed her 9-year-old daughter said that he expects his wife will walk out of the hospital, despite her being hospitalized in critical condition with burns over 80 percent of her body.
Rodney Taylor, the husband of aspiring singer Gilani Taylor, told a news conference at County-USC Medical Center where his wife was hospitalized, “I lost my baby girl... just her smile—you’ve seen the pictures—got me going.”
The women’s prognosis was that if she survives, it would be a long road to full recovery, doctors said.
Rodney Taylor said that “I just want my wife. I will go through everything to get her back.”
The accident occurred at 8:30 a.m. Saturday on the southbound Ventura (101) Freeway near Las Virgenes Road.
The daughter was identified as Jayla, although the coroner’s office has not officially identified her.
Gilani Taylor was driving a 1995 Chrysler when she lost control, crashed into the center divider, hit a tanker truck and overturned, bursting into flames.
ABC7 reported that authorities now believe that she may have been clipped by a driver in a white sport utility vehicle, which caused the accident.
Several people stopped to try to help and pulled the woman from the wreckage.
“She’s rolling in pain, on fire, and her skin is falling off,” Dale Johnsen told a reporter at the scene. “I was shocked at first. I thought it was a horror movie.”
LANCASTER, Calif.—A Quartz Hill woman convicted of murder and other charges in the death of her 18-month-old daughter, whom she initially claimed was taken from her in a violent kidnapping, is facing a 25-year-to-life prison term.
Stacey Marie Barker, now 26, is set to be sentenced June 17 by Superior Court Judge Hayden Zacky for the March 18, 2009, slaying of her daughter, Emma.
Mom’s smiles can brighten any moment,
Mom’s hugs put joy in all our days,
Mom’s love will stay with us forever
and touch our lives in precious ways...
The values you’ve taught,
the care you’ve given,
and the wonderful love you’ve shown,
have enriched my life
in more ways than I can count.
ACTON—9-year-old Acton girl was hospitalized in critical condition Wednesday, after a vehicle struck her and her mother, killing the woman, authorities said.
Missy Durnell, 43, identified by the California Highway Patrol this morning, died at Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster.
The crash was reported at 8:13 p.m. Monday on Antelope Woods Road near Crown Valley Road and the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The city of Los Angeles Tuesday, April 17, added $75,000 to reward money offered for information leading to whoever killed two USC graduate students from China.
Reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in last Wednesday’s shooting deaths of Ying Wu and Ming Qu, both 23, now stands at $200,000.
City Councilman Bernard Parks, a former police chief whose 8th Council District includes the area around USC, sponsored the reward.
The family and friends of Frederick Martin have put together a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever shot and killed the 28-year-old Inglewood father as he shielded his 8-year-old son from gunfire.
Martin, 28, was shot about 7 p.m. April 3 in the 3200 block of West 109th Street, and died at a local hospital.
Inglewood Mayor James Butts announced the reward at a City Hall news conference attended by Martin’s family.
