A woman was killed and two other people were injured in a three-car crash late Wednesday night on Fairmount Avenue in Talmadge, according to San Diego police.

The crash happened shortly after 10 p.m. near Talmadge Canyon Row. Investigators said the collision involved a Toyota Camry, a Honda Fit and a Saab, all traveling southbound on Fairmount Avenue.

Police said the woman driving the Toyota Camry had broken down in the roadway when the crash happened. According to investigators, the Honda Fit stopped in front of the stranded vehicle to help when the Saab attempted to pass and collided with the Camry from behind, crushing it between the two vehicles.

Investigators said the crash was a chain reaction involving all three vehicles.

Witnesses living in the nearby Talmadge Canyon Park condominiums said they rushed outside after hearing the collision.

“I heard a screech at first coming from over there. I heard a screech. It’s like a bomb,” witness Mel Valdez said.

“Yeah it was really loud and a lot going on,” witness Alyssa DeForge said.

“The car is like smashed, like really hard up front,” Valdez said.

“Pretty scary. All felt like we had a bad pit in our stomachs, seeing it was just, like a lot,” DeForge said.

Witnesses said medics performed CPR at the scene.

“As soon as the medics got here, they started CPR. We could see from here they were doing CPR on him,” DeForge said.

“It’s taking a while because I was up until like one and I was like oh no, for sure somebody died,” Valdez said.

Police have not released the identities of the drivers nor details about the extent of the other injuries.

Residents who live along Fairmount Avenue said speeding is common in the area.

“People fly down this road. I am actually surprised that this is the first crash that I have witnessed here,” DeForge said.

Police said impaired driving was not considered a factor in the crash. No charges have been announced.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication.