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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Lohan involved in another collision

Richard Winton and Rong-Gong Lin Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES – In a traffic accident that gives new meaning to the term “star struck,” a black Mercedes-Benz driven by teenage actress Lindsay Lohan collided Tuesday afternoon with a van along a stretch of trendy Robertson Boulevard, just blocks from where the star was rammed by a photographer months earlier.

Tuesday’s accident, which remains under investigation, occurred shortly after Lohan was being trailed and photographed by paparazzi as she lunched and shopped along the boulevard. Though authorities declined to state whether paparazzi were involved in the accident, a Lohan publicist blamed the collision on photographers.

“This is another example of the paparazzi endangering citizens, both Ms. Lohan and the other driver in the collision,” said Leslie Sloan, a Lohan spokeswoman. “As the matter is still under investigation, we cannot comment further at this time.”

The van’s driver was taken to a hospital with moderate injuries, authorities said, while Lohan and a passenger suffered only minor injuries.

According to witnesses and authorities, the star of such films as “Mean Girls” and “Herbie: Fully Loaded” was driving her convertible Mercedes north when she struck a maroon van that was making a U-turn in front of her. The accident occurred just before 5 p.m., near the intersection of Robertson and Beverly boulevards. The van, which was driven by an employee of the Newsroom Cafe, was trying to pull into a parking space when it was struck on the driver’s side and propelled into a large truck, authorities said.

“It was a very violent crash,” said witness Katherine Starr, 50, of New Orleans. “It was such a loud impact, it was explosive.”

Starr said she was walking along the sidewalk when she noticed Lohan driving in the opposite direction at a high rate of speed.

“She was just flying down the street,” Starr said. “People crawl along there, but she had to be going 50 or 60 mph. I really don’t think she should have been driving so fast. There’s too much pedestrian activity there.”

The air bags on Lohan’s Mercedes deployed, and the actress and her friend opened their doors and ran into a nearby antiques store, the Hideaway House.

The driver of the van stumbled onto the street and was helped by Newsroom Cafe employees, witnesses said.

The stretch of Robertson Boulevard where the crash occurred is a haunt for Hollywood stars, who are drawn to its upscale boutiques and eateries. The area also draws an army of celebrity photographers looking to snap candid photos.

On Tuesday, witnesses said Lohan was being photographed as she ate lunch at the Ivy restaurant and as she shopped afterward. It wasn’t clear Tuesday night whether Lohan believed that she was being chased at the time of the crash. It was in the same neighborhood four months ago that Lohan made headlines when a celebrity photographer rammed his car into her car as she tried to make a U-turn near the Beverly Center shopping mall. The accident gave rise to a special investigative task force that prosecutes criminal cases against aggressive paparazzi.