travelling nurse accident california

Traveling Nurse Charged With Six Counts of Murder After High-Speed Crash

Nicole Linton faces 90 years in prison after prosecutors said her Mercedes sped through a red light in California at 90 mph and crashed into multiple cars, killing six.

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Frederick M. Brown/Daily Mail.com via AP

A traveling Texas nurse is facing multiple murder charges after running a red light and crashing into traffic while allegedly driving 90 mph in Windsor Hills, California.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced on Monday that Nicole Linton has been charged with six counts of murder and five counts of gross vehicular manslaughter for the multi-car crash, which left six people dead. Linton faces a 90-year prison sentence if convicted.

Police say Linton was driving at high speed in a Mercedes on Thursday when she blew through a red light at the intersection of La Brea and Slauson avenues. Multiple vehicles were hit and three of them were engulfed by flames in what authorities dubbed “a fiery wreck.”

Linton, from Houston, is a traveling nurse who was working in Los Angeles when the crash occurred. Authorities are investigating whether drugs or alcohol were a factor.

Killed in the crash were Asherey Ryan, 23, who was more than 8 months pregnant, her 11-month-old baby, Alonzo Quintero, and her boyfriend, Reynold Lester. The couple were en route to a doctor’s appointment when the crash happened.

Two other women, who have yet to be identified, were killed in another vehicle.

Six other vehicles were involved in the collision, including five people with minor injuries in an SUV and another driver in another vehicle.

Linton, 37, was seen in tears and in a wheelchair during her first court appearance at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center on Monday. Her brows were furrowed as tears streamed down her face, her left arm wrapped in a brace. She nodded as a judge denied her attorney’s request for $300,000 bail.

“Today, we begin the process of holding accountable the person responsible for the deaths of six people, including a pregnant woman, and their families,” District Attorney Gascón said in a statement.

The case remains under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.

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Houston nurse charged in California crash that killed 6, including pregnant woman, authorities say

LOS ANGELES, California -- A Houston nurse is charged and could face a 90-year sentence in the deadly high-speed crash that killed six people in California, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón said on Monday.

Nicole Linton, 37, is charged with six counts of murder and five counts of gross vehicular manslaughter, Gascón said.

If convicted of all charges, she faces a potential sentence of 90 years to life in prison.

Linton was hospitalized after the crash, but was booked into jail over the weekend. She was initially being held on $2 million bail, but records indicated that amount was increased to $9 million.

Authorities said on Thursday, Linton was driving 90 mph in a Mercedes when she ran a red light at an intersection, slamming into multiple vehicles, causing three of them to be engulfed by flames.

Linton is a traveling nurse from Houston who was working in the Los Angeles area, according to investigators. Police said they are looking into whether drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash.

On Monday, Gascón said so far police have not developed evidence of alcohol use, but they are continuing to investigate.

RELATED: Woman was heading to prenatal checkup with infant son, boyfriend before deadly Windsor Hills crash

Among the dead was Asherey Ryan, who was more than eight months pregnant, along with her boyfriend Reynold Lester and their unborn baby, named Armani Lester. Asherey's 11-month old son Alonzo Quintero was also killed. They were heading to a prenatal doctor's appointment at the time of the crash.

"A young family was destroyed in the blink of an eye," Gascón said.

Gascón said the six murder charges include Asherey's unborn child, but the charge of manslaughter legally cannot apply.

After hitting their car, Linton's Mercedes then collided with a Nissan Altima and killed two women inside, who have not been publicly identified.

She also careened into an SUV carrying a family of seven. They all incurred minor injuries. Several other vehicles were also struck.

Family members and community members gathered at the intersection Sunday to remember the lives lost.

"She was such a beautiful lady," Jean Martin of Windsor Hills said, who attended the vigil. "You know she was a good mom. To her family, be sure to take the life and time you had and cherish that."

A growing memorial of flowers, photos and candles was placed at the intersection in memory of the victims.

"His body was damn near cremated on the corner," Shanita Guy, Lester's aunt, said. "For what? For what?"

Family members and community activists called for Linton to face the maximum penalty allowed by law if convicted.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help Asherey's family with funeral expenses.

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• WOMAN KILLED
• U.S. & WORLD
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Watch CBS News

Family of Nicole Linton, nurse charged for deadly Windsor Hills crash, speaks out for first time

By KCAL News Staff

September 19, 2022 / 10:02 PM PDT / KCAL News

For the first time since the fatal crash in Windsor Hills that killed six people more than a month ago , the family of the suspect is speaking out. 

Nicole Linton, a 37-year-old traveling nurse, has been charged with six counts of murder and five counts of vehicular manslaughter for the crash, after she barreled through an intersection at 130 miles per hour on Aug. 4., killing five people and an unborn baby.

On a recently published website titled "Nicole's Story - #Let'sTalkAboutMentalHealth" her older sister Camille details her family's thoughts on the collision and offers an insight into who her sister is. She also hopes that her sister is being treated fairly both in the public's eyes, and by the legal system.

"For the past 6 weeks, we chose to remain silent out of our deepest respect and sympathy for the victim's families and allow the facts to come out through the court proceedings," the website reads, before sharing additional thoughts of remorse for the victims. "I understand and acknowledge the pain, anger, frustration, and sadness that so many are feeling. I understand and acknowledge how vulnerable people must feel that something like this could happen in such a random way to people who were just going about their day and that their lives were cut short in an instant."

She acknowledges the fact that she doesn't want any of the families to think that she's trying to absolve her younger sister of accountability in the crash, but instead hopes that "whatever the rule of law is for situations like this, is applied fairly."

The site, which contains six pages of information on Linton's upbringing, battles with mental health, a detailed account of her family interactions on the day of the crash and more, also offers people a chance to contact the Linton family with any questions they may have. 

She claims to have gotten a call about four minutes before the collision occurred. 

"When I see that video, I don't see Nicole driving...I see her mental illness driving. Something must've happened that caused her to completely disassociate with reality," she said.

According to Camille, Nicole's first manic episode was in 2018, something which she and her family believe can be attributed to the struggles that she had as a traveling nurse and the stress that came along with it, as well as her transition to life in America after moving from Jamaica when she was 10.

"What people must understand is that over 90% of our interaction with Nicole has been 'normal' and even when she is manic, it has never been anything that would cause us to believe she was a danger to herself or other people," the website said. "Not once in the past 4 years was I ever worried that something like what happened on August 4th could happen."

A memorial remains at the scene of the tragedy, with flowers, candles and messages for the victims of the crash, including Asherey Ryan, her unborn baby, her 11-month-old child Allonzo, and her boyfriend .

CBS reporters reached out to the families of the victims, one of which said that the site is "disturbing."

Linton remains behind bars after having her request for bail denied by a judge.

The KCAL News Staff is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on KCALNews.com.

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Travel Nurse Accused of LA Car Crash Killing 6 including Pregnant Woman and Child

Image: Deadly Crash

Update: On Monday, Linton was charged with six counts of murder and five counts of gross vehicular manslaughter. Linton could face 90 years to life in prison if convicted. She is currently being held on $9 million bail while detectives and prosecutors determine if drugs and/or alcohol played a factor.

"This incredible tragedy has sent shockwaves throughout Los Angeles and the loss of so many precious lives will have a lasting impact on those that are closest to them," Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement.

Travel nurse, Nicole Lorraine Linton, 37, is accused of speeding through a red light in Windsor Hills, California, and killing six people including an infant, a pregnant woman, and her unborn child on Thursday.

Investigators believe Linton crashed her Mercedes-Benz through traffic at the intersection of La Brea and Slauson avenues going over 100 mph. The speed limit is only 35 mph in that area. Surveillance video shows Linton’s vehicle running a red light and slamming into cars in the intersection, then bursting into flames and being stopped by a light pole.

Authorities took eight people to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center for treatment, including the driver. Six were teens, and one suffered major injuries. 23-year-old pregnant Asherey Ryan of Los Angeles was in the car with her boyfriend and infant. All were killed in the fiery crash. Another victim was found burned in a car and has yet to be identified.

Nicole Lorraine Linton

Onlookers rushed to the aid of those that were thrown from their vehicles after the crash. Veronica Esquival told KTLA-TV Channel 5 that a baby came to rest at the intersection. “One of the workers came and saw me with the baby and took the baby out of my hands. Somebody tried to resuscitate the baby, but the baby was gone,” she said

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A final determination of charges will be made by the District Attorney's Office. District Attorney George Gascón issued a statement Friday saying his office will be "working with law enforcement throughout the weekend," and the investigation could be presented to his office for consideration of charges "as early as Monday." According to officials, Linton survived the horrific accident and was arrested with gross negligence on the grounds of vehicular manslaughter. She is said to be cooperating with the police. It is unclear if drugs or alcohol were involved.  

Image: Clean up after the accident

"Preliminary investigation indicates Nicole Lorraine Linton was driving a dark colored Mercedes, traveling southbound on La Brea Avenue at a high rate of speed," according to a CHP statement .

"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. Following the collision, involved parties were transported to (Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center) by ambulance and six individuals were declared deceased on scene," the CHP reported .

"Due to extensive fire damage, it is unknown at this time the make and model of the involved vehicles and which vehicles the involved parties were traveling in," the CHP reported .

Linton is a travel nurse from Texas that has been working in the intensive care unit at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center. Kaiser Permanente issued a statement Friday saying, "Everyone at Kaiser Permanente is deeply saddened by Thursday's horrific crash. It's impossible to imagine the pain those involved are experiencing. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy. At this time, we are not able to comment on what has been reported as a criminal investigation."

According to officials, Linton survived the horrific accident and was arrested with gross negligence on the grounds of vehicular manslaughter while admitted to the hospital. 

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Nurse accused in deadly Windsor Hills crash facing 6 counts of murder, Gascón says

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A nurse who was allegedly driving 90 mph when she ran a red light and slammed into traffic in Windsor Hills, killing six people, is being charged with murder and could face a 90-year sentence, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón said Monday.

Nicole Linton, 37, has been charged with six counts of murder and five counts of gross vehicular manslaughter, Gascón said.

If convicted of all charges, she faces a potential sentence of 90 years to life in prison.

Linton was hospitalized after the crash, but was booked into jail over the weekend. She was initially being held on $2 million bail but that amount was increased to $9 million.

At Linton's first court appearance Monday, a judge ordered her held without bail, but a hearing will be held next Monday to review bail.

Authorities say Linton was speeding in a Mercedes when she ran a red light at the intersection of La Brea and Slauson avenues on Thursday. She slammed into multiple vehicles, and three of them were engulfed by flames.

Linton is a traveling nurse from Houston who was working in the Los Angeles area. Police are looking into whether drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash.

On Monday, Gascón said so far police have not developed evidence of alcohol use but they are continuing to investigate.

RELATED: Woman was heading to prenatal checkup with infant son, boyfriend before deadly Windsor Hills crash

During Monday's bail hearing, Linton's defense attorney claimed there was no evidence of drugs or alcohol in her system and alluded to "profound mental health issues" as a potential reason behind the crash.

A prosecutor said she had been involved in "a number of prior collisions throughout the United States" including a 2020 crash in which two vehicles were totaled and people were injured.

Among the dead from the Windsor Hills crash were Asherey Ryan, who was more than eight months pregnant, along with her boyfriend Reynold Lester and their unborn baby, named Armani Lester.

Asherey's 11-month old son Alonzo Quintero was also killed. They were heading to a prenatal doctor's appointment at the time of the crash.

"A young family was destroyed in the blink of an eye," Gascón said.

Gascón said the six murder charges include Asherey's unborn child, but the charge of manslaughter legally cannot apply.

The father of Alonzo Quintero told Eyewitness News he wants to see justice for his son.

"The smile. He had a smile that would brighten up your day, no matter what," Luis Quintero said, fighting back tears. "He was full of joy, very excited. I loved when he gripped his hands. When he would kick his legs from excitement."

"I want to see that justice is made. Something for her, payback for what she's done. Maybe then I can forgive her. But not now. She took my son away from me. And I will never see him."

After hitting Asherey and Reynold's car, Linton's Mercedes then collided with a Nissan Altima and killed two women inside, who have not been publicly identified.

She also careened into an SUV carrying a family of seven. They all incurred minor injuries. Several other vehicles were also struck.

Family members and community members gathered at the intersection Sunday to remember the lives lost.

"She was such a beautiful lady," said Jean Martin of Windsor Hills, who attended the vigil. "You know she was a good mom. To her family, be sure to take the life and time you had and cherish that."

A growing memorial of flowers, photos and candles was placed at the intersection in memory of the victims.

Family members and community activists also called for safety improvements at the intersection, which they say has seen other serious crashes.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help Asherey's family with funeral expenses.

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Nurse Ran Red Light Going 130 MPH in LA Crash That Killed 6

Nicole linton has an extensive history of mental health issues, but was conscious and aware during crash according to prosecutors..

Traveling nurse Nicole Linton was fully conscious and aware when she p ushed her Mercedes-Benz to 130 mph and blasted through a red light in a busy Los Angeles intersection last month , killing six.

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Linton, a traveling nurse from Texas, is accused of speeding through a red light at the crossing of South La Brea Avenue and Slauson Avenue in the Windsor Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. The fiery crash involved several cars and led to the deaths of five people, including an infant, and one unborn baby, and the injury of eight others. First responders took Linton to UCLA hospital directly following the crash for minor injuries. Prosecutors charged Linton with six counts of murder and 5 counts of gross negligence.

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Originally, police estimated that Linton drove her Mercedes-Benz 90 mph into cross traffic the afternoon of August 4, but that number was apparently a low ball. Court papers filed late Friday by Los Angeles County district attorney’s office revealed what investigators found when they compared her vehicle’s on-board computer to surveillance video of the crash, the Los Angeles Times reports:

“Further analysis reveals that her speed at impact was in fact 130 mph and that she floored the gas pedal for at least the 5 seconds leading into the crash, going from 122 mph to 130 mph,” Friday’s court filing said. Prosecutors said analysis of the Mercedes’ recorded data and surveillance video indicates that Linton had “complete control over steering, maintaining the tilt of the steering wheel to keep her car traveling directly toward the crowded intersection.” “This NASCAR-worthy performance flies in the face of the notion that she was unconscious or incapacitated,” according to the filing.

This information directly contradicts the defense’s argument that Linton was unconscious or incapacitated during the crash. While reports that she was involved in over a dozen crashes in the years before this one proved false, Linton does have a documented history of mental health struggles. A similar motion filed by prosecutors detailed her mental health history, according to ABC7 News :

According to a motion filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office Monday, Linton has a history of mental health issues dating back to at least 2018. The motion says that Linton’s defense team has provided the DA’s office with information on multiple incidents, “which appear to be increasing in severity, ranging from the defendant jumping on police cars to jumping out of apartment windows,” in addition to multiple involuntary commitments to mental health facilities. Linton has also allegedly “has hurt herself more than once.”

Medical professionals treating Linton noted her history of bipolar disorder and involuntary holds at mental health facilities. She told doctors she had no recollection of what happened before the crash. Her four-year battle with mental health started during nursing school, according to Linton’s sister. In the hours before the crash, Linton seemed to be suffering another mental break. From the LA Times :

“In the days and hours leading up to the events of August 4, Nicole’s behavior became increasingly frightening,” her attorneys wrote.

Linton kept telling one of her sisters that her co-workers at the Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center were “acting weird,” her lawyers said. The day of the crash, Linton drove home from the hospital for lunch and FaceTimed her sister completely naked, according to the court papers.

Linton is being held without bond. A few weeks ago, Linton’s lawyers argued she should be moved from jail to a mental health facility, though prosecutors balked, arguing Linton was a danger to the community and a flight risk. The judge delayed ruling on the motion, moving a hearing to Monday.

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Nurse charged with killing 6 might have lost consciousness, suffered mental collapse before crash

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The nurse facing murder charges for allegedly slamming her Mercedes-Benz into traffic this month in Windsor Hills was in the throes of a “frightening” mental health crisis in the days, hours and minutes before the crash, new court records filed by her attorneys show.

The revelations came in a comprehensive filing by Nicole Linton’s defense attorneys that offers the most detailed narrative yet of the events leading up to the horrific crash that killed five people and an unborn child.

The motion and attachments, obtained by The Times, detail the nurse’s four-year struggle with bipolar disorder and include a determination by doctors in the immediate aftermath of the deadly incident that Linton suffered an “apparent lapse of consciousness” at the time of the crash.

Linton is accused of speeding her sedan down La Brea Avenue toward the busy intersection at Slauson Avenue shortly after 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 4. Authorities say she was going around 90 mph when she barreled through a light that had been red for nine seconds and slammed into passing traffic.

The fiery crash killed five, including a pregnant woman and a baby . The Los Angeles district attorney charged Linton with six counts of murder, including the pregnant woman’s unborn child.

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Linton has been held in jail since the crash, with prosecutors alleging she is a flight risk and a danger to the community. They said in a filing that Linton was suffering from deteriorating mental health issues before the crash .

“She has no recollection of the events that led to her collision,” wrote doctor William Winter on Aug. 6. Winter treated Linton at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

“The next thing she recalled was lying on the pavement and seeing that her car was on fire,” he wrote.

Winter wrote that Linton has bipolar disorder and suffered an “apparent lapse of consciousness” at the time of the crash, according to the heavily redacted medical records.

Linton’s family became aware of her mental health issues in May 2018 when she was a nursing student at the University of Texas in Houston , her lawyers wrote. Her sister Camille Linton said in a letter to the court that Nicole’s studies to be a nurse anesthetist caused her first mental health breakdown.

“The stress was too much for her and it ‘broke’ her,” Camille Linton wrote. “Thus beginning the journey of Nicole’s 4-year struggle with mental illness.”

She ran out of her apartment in May 2018 during a panic attack, and when police approached her, she jumped on a police car and was arrested for disorderly conduct, her attorneys wrote.

Linton called her family from the police station and was concerned about the well-being of her pet turtle, according to her attorneys.

A few days after that arrest, Linton told her family that she believed she was possessed by her dead grandmother.

The next day, at Ben Taub psychiatric hospital, Linton required stitches on her forehead after she banged her head into a glass partition while ranting about the police and Supreme Court, the lawyers wrote. She sang Bob Marley as the medical staff treated her wound, the records say.

It was at Ben Taub that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and prescribed psychiatric medication, the defense motion says.

More than a year later, Linton was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric ward after a neighbor called her family after seeing Linton running around her apartment complex naked, the attorneys said.

Linton’s mental health deteriorated further after she stopped taking her psychiatric medication during the pandemic. Her lawyers said an online therapist told her she merely suffered from anxiety.

Linton began acting strangely, not sleeping and becoming obsessive about cleaning. She ranted at family members and accused them of stealing from her, her lawyers said.

“In the days and hours leading up to the events of August 4, Nicole’s behavior became increasingly frightening,” wrote her attorneys.

Linton was in contact with one of her sisters, and kept telling her that her coworkers at the West Los Angeles Medical Center were “acting weird,” her lawyers said.

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The day of the crash, Linton drove home from the hospital for lunch and FaceTimed her sister completely naked, according to the court papers.

She then went back to work, and called her sister again at 1:24 p.m. saying she was leaving work again, just minutes before the crash.

“She told her sister that she was flying out to meet her in Houston the next day so she could do her niece’s hair. She also said that she would be getting married and that her sister should meet her at the altar,” the lawyers wrote.

While the extent of Linton’s injuries from the crash were not included in the report, Winter mentioned “fractures” and Linton’s lawyers said that the traveling nurse is using a wheelchair to move around jail.

“The medical records are an objective unbiased account of what happened here,” Linton’s attorney, Jacqueline Sparagna, told The Times.

But Linton’s lawyers argued that mental health issues and Linton’s “apparently bizarre” actions are no reason to keep her locked up and that Linton should be released for testing at UCLA Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital. They said she would wear an ankle monitor or submit to any other conditions imposed by the court.

“Ms. Linton would be most appropriately housed in a mental health treatment facility where she can be monitored and treated for her illness,” wrote attorneys Halim Dhanidina and Jacqueline Sparagna in the filing Monday.

Otherwise, Linton should be released on no more than $300,000 bail, the attorneys said, adding that was all Linton could afford.

“The safety and well being of the residents of Los Angeles are our primary concern,” said Dist. Atty. George Gascón in a statement to The Times. “Under my policy, preventative detention can be requested under a case-specific analysis to protect public safety and to reasonably ensure the defendant’s return to court.”

Linton is accused by the district attorney of reckless disregard for life in connection with the multi-vehicle crash. She faces five manslaughter counts on top of the six murder counts.

“In an instant, Ms. Linton’s conduct took the lives of six people and injured many others,” Gascón said at a press conference days after the crash.

The crash caused the deaths of 23-year-old Asherey Ryan ; her nearly 1-year-old child , Alonzo Quintero; her boyfriend, Reynold Lester; and their unborn child. Ryan was 8½ months pregnant when she was killed. Also killed were friends Nathesia Lewis, 43, and Lynette Noble, 38.

“I already cried. I cried. I didn’t sleep one bit. I’m all cried out,” said Sha’seana Kerr, Ryan’s sister, the day after the crash. “We have to bury four people.”

Linton’s lawyers noted that blood tests showed their client had no narcotics or alcohol in her system except for fentanyl that was given to her after the crash.

They also countered prosecutors’ arguments that Linton has a history of dangerous driving .

“A fifty-state comprehensive search of insurance records reveals that Ms. Linton has no such history,” wrote Linton’s lawyers. “In fact, Ms. Linton was determined to be at fault in only three prior collisions, the most recent of which occurring in 2014.”

They got backup in the letter of a family friend of Linton, a former federal prosecutor in Washington D.C.

Prosecutors said in their filing that Linton’s history of mental illness included “jumping on police cars to jumping out of apartment windows.” But the defense attorneys responded that the D.A.’s office unfairly pluralized “events occurring only once.”

And the apartment window Linton jumped out during a “manic episode” was on the first floor, according to Linton’s sister, who filed a declaration along with the defense’s bail argument.

Final 2 victims in Windsor Hills crash identified by family, friends: ‘I’m broken’

The two women, identified as Nathesia Lewis and Lynette Noble, were traveling in the same car at the time of the deadly crash.

Aug. 11, 2022

The defense included in its documents character letters from Linton’s family and friends.

Beverly Harrison, Linton’s mother, said her daughter came to America from Jamaica when she was 10 and grew up without her father. Over the last two years, her daughter spent her birthdays in Jamaica at her mother’s remote home in the mountainous region of Jamaica and took care of her.

“She is a Godly person who put her trust in him,” Harrison wrote to the court. “She is a person that if she says or do anything she regrets, she will come back to say that she is sorry and ask you for forgiveness. My sweet baby I love her but God loves her best.”

One of Linton’s other five siblings, Kimberly, said her sister became a traveling nurse during the pandemic and wanted to start medical school next year to become a doctor.

“Nicole is about saving lives and she always has both empathy and sympathy for any life that’s loss and the family no matter how many time one can see that sort of thing in that field,” Kimberly Linton wrote.

Her brother, Donovan Dallas, who is the deputy superintendent of police in Saint Andrew North in Jamaica, believes his sister did not intentionally cause the crash. He asked that she be released into her family’s care.

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Nurse nicole linton, charged with killing six in 130mph crash, ‘froze’ at wheel: lawyer.

Defense attorneys for a traveling nurse charged with killing six people when she barreled through a busy Los Angeles intersection at 130 mph said they plan to call an expert who will testify she had a seizure and “froze” at the wheel to explain the horror smash.

Nicole Linton appeared before a Los Angeles judge on Thursday with her attorney, Jacqueline Sparagna, who told the judge they plan to call a neurologist who specializes in epilepsy and seizures.

“We are going to put on a defense at the preliminary hearing, which is rare,” Sparagna told The Post.

“Everything that the doctor has reviewed is consistent with her having a seizure. Nicole wasn’t sleeping for days and insomnia can cause seizures.”

She added, “People who fall asleep at the wheel go limp, but if they have a seizure, everything tenses up. That is consistent with why her foot was on the pedal.”

Among the six people who were killed include Asherey Ryan, who was pregnant, her 11-month old son Allonzo, and her boyfriend, Reynold Lester . The family was on their way to a prenatal appointment, family members said.

Prosecutors claim a psychiatric evaluation conducted on Linton showed no indication of a seizure and that Linton “floored” her car for at least five seconds before reaching speeds of 122 to 130 mph before speeding into the intersection of La Brea and Slauson avenues on Aug. 4 last year.

Video footage showed Linton’s Mercedes smashed into multiple vehicles before exploding into a fireball.

“This NASCAR-worthy performance flies in the face of the notion that she was unconscious or incapacitated,” prosecutors wrote in a motion.

Linton, 37, has pleaded not guilty to six counts of murder and five counts of vehicular manslaughter. She remains at a county jail under a “no bail” hold.

Linton’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 17.

Sparagna said their witness is a “leading expert” in seizures and epilepsy but would not reveal the name of the neurologist. The attorney said Linton has a history of mental health issues and has had seizures in the past.

“She’s being treated for mental health issues in county jail, so the government’s own doctors concede this is a mental health case,” Sparagna said. “She simply did not, and could not, commit murder.”

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8 California firefighters injured in freeway rollover after battling Airport Fire

Six firefighters required treatment at local trauma centers, while two others were reported to be in stable condition at a nearby hospital..

Eight California firefighters who were part of a crew returning from a shift fighting the Airport Fire in Orange County were injured late Thursday when their truck crashed on a freeway near Irvine, authorities said.

The crash occurred at about 6:50 p.m. local time when an Orange County Fire Authority truck rolled over while it was headed north on State Route 241. Six firefighters required treatment at local trauma centers, while two others were reported to be in stable condition at a nearby hospital, Fire Chief Brian Fennessey said in a late-night news conference .

The firefighters were on their way home after a 12-hour shift battling a blaze in Southern California that erupted Sept. 9 in Trabuco Canyon, Fennessey said.

"We ask that you pray for our firefighters and their families," Fennessey said during the news conference, which the agency shared on Facebook.

Fire truck swerved to avoid ladder on freeway, reports say

California Highway Patrol investigators told KCAL that the fire utility truck swerved to avoid a ladder on the freeway just north of Portola Parkway in Irvine. The fire truck then crashed into a nearby guardrail and overturned, KCAL reported.

An Orange County fire crew arrived within minutes of the crash to begin medical treatment before requesting additional support.

Aerial footage of the crash site from local news showed the wrecked fire utility truck amid debris littered across the road.

All told, nine paramedic units, 12 ambulances and three helicopters responded to the scene, Fennessey said. Seven of the injured were transported from the scene by ambulance, while one firefighter was taken in a helicopter, he added.

The highway patrol closed both directions of the freeway for about five hours to allow helicopters to land and perform evacuations, according to the LA Times .

'Long road' ahead for injured firefighters

Once the scene was cleared, the crews who responded to the crash returned to Orange County Fire Authority headquarters for critical incident stress debriefing, Fennessey said.

"You can only imagine how traumatic it is for a brother, sister firefighter to see them injured like that on the freeway," he told reporters Thursday night.

The families of those who were injured have also been notified, Fennessey said.

"We'll be here for our families, we'll be here for our firefighters," he said. "This is the beginning of a long road for many of our firefighters in our fire department."

Airport Fire 42% contained

The firefighters had just finished a 12-hour shift fighting the Airport Fire, which has ravaged tens of thousands of acres in Riverside and Orange counties.

As of Thursday, more than 23,000 acres were ablaze as crews worked to extinguish a fire . But cooler temperatures have allowed crews to gain some ground in recent days, increasing containment from 9% contained on Saturday to 42% by Thursday .

In a bit of tragic irony, the source of the blaze is believed to be from a crew working on a project meant to help prevent fires, according to the Desert Sun , a USA TODAY Network publication. From there, dry, hot weather fueled the fire's spread.

Contributing: Julia Gomez , USA TODAY

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]