What did Nicole Linton do? Woman charged in fiery Los Angeles crash that left six dead

A 37-year-old woman named Nicole Lorraine Linton has been accused of vehicular manslaughter caused by a devastating collision that happened outside Los Angeles on the afternoon of Thursday, August 4, 2022.

Six people died in the tragic accident, including a pregnant mother and her infant. The unborn child of the pregnant mother is also being considered a victim of the accident.

As per the California Highway Patrol authorities, Nicole Lorraine Linton was driving her Mercedes-Benz sedan when she ran past the red light and collided with a number of cars in Windsor Hills, a neighborhood southeast of downtown Los Angeles.

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Charges by the Los Angeles Police could lead to a potential 90-year prison sentence for Linton

Nicole Lorraine Linton is a Houston native, but as per authorities, she worked as a nurse nearby in Los Angeles.

She is currently being charged with six counts of murder and five counts of vehicular manslaughter. If convicted of all, Linton could be looking at 90 years to life in prison.

On Friday, the coroner's office named a pregnant woman who was a victim of the collision as Los Angeles resident Asherey Ryan. The male fetus inside Ryan was also listed as one of the dead victims. While a murder charge was included for the same, District Attorney George Gascón said that a manslaughter charge could not be filed for an unborn child.

Commenting on the incident, the pregnant victim's sister told the media:

''We're looking for legal representation because this doesn't make any sense. Her taking my sister, my nephew, my brother-in-law, she took my son's only cousin. We're deeply hurt. We have to bury four people, including the unborn child."

Unconfirmed reports suggest that Ryan was reportedly headed to a doctor's appointment and was over eight months pregnant.

A California Highway Patrol (CHP) statement described the incident as follows:

“While driving the Mercedes, Linton proceeded through a red light and collided into multiple vehicles traveling eastbound and westbound on Slauson Avenue. As a result of this collision, multiple parties were ejected and two vehicles were fully engulfed in flames."

CHP also reported that six people were declared dead on scene. The other victims were transported to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. The model of the involved vehicles could also not be determined owing to extensive fire damage.

The collision ended up being a chain reaction with several cars getting involved and the badly damaged Mercedes ending up close to a bench further down the street.

According to the fire department and the CHP, several people were thrown out of their vehicles as a result of the collision.

As per Daily Mail, a woman claiming to be Linton's friend has reportedly said that Linton was "drunk" and "fighting with her boyfriend" before she got into the car and caused the devastating accident.

Linton was admitted to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and was discharged over the weekend. She is currently being held on a $9 million bail bond by the Los Angeles County District attorney.