Four people are injured after car plows through homeless encampment in Los Angeles's Koreatown neighborhood

Four people have been injured after a car crash at an LA intersection caused one vehicle to careen into a homeless encampment, officials said. 

At approximately 6am, a silver Toyota Corolla traveling east on 5th street in the Koreatown neighborhood hit a white Dodge Dart at the intersection of South Virgil Avenue, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. 

The Dodge smashed into a homeless encampment and struck a palm tree alongside the road. A homeless man who had been asleep on a couch on the sidewalk was left pinned between the car and the tree. 

The 65-year-old man was 'alert and speaking' when emergency services arrived, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Fire fighters used their 'Heavy Rescue 3' crane to lift the vehicle up off the trapped man. 

Four people were riding in the Dodge at the time of the crash, the LA Times reported, and two were in the Corolla that struck them. Three passengers in the Dodge were taken to the hospital, along with the homeless man

The white Dodge Dart careened into a homeless encampment and struck a palm tree alongside the road around 6 am this morning - a homeless man who had been asleep on a couch on the sidewalk was reportedly pinned between the car and the tree. He was extricated about 20 minutes later and brought to the hospital

The man may have avoided more serious injury because the couch provided some protection from the crash, according to Captain Erik Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department. 

'Fortunately this was not a fatal incident,' Scott told the Times.  

According to updates posted on Citizen.com, the man was extricated from underneath the vehicle at approximately 6.20 am. 

Four people were riding in the Dodge at the time of the crash, the LA Times reported, and two were in the Corolla that struck them. 

Three passengers in the Dodge were taken to the hospital, along with the homeless man. The people in the Corolla were uninjured, officials said.

One of the victims was listed in 'moderate condition,' and three more were in 'fair condition,' according to KTLA 5. 

The Dodge smashed into a homeless encampment and struck a palm tree alongside the road

In their release, the Los Angeles Fire Department wrote that 'at least' one person was freed using their Heavy Rescue 3 crane

The cause of the crash is still under investigation. 

The crash comes days after the city banned sleeping and homeless encampments in certain parts of the city last Friday, according to FOX 11.

Properties deemed as 'sensitive use,' included schools, daycare facilities, public parks and libraries will be off-limits for urban campers after the city's council passes a resolution naming a particular area as such and posts signage with notice.

The crash comes days after the city banned sleeping and homeless encampments in certain parts of the city last Friday

Designated areas for homeless encampments, including 500 feet of designated overpass, underpass, the subway and 1,000 feet of a new homeless facility that opened in January of 2018. 

 'We don't need to choose between keeping our public spaces safe and clean, and connecting Angelenos experiencing homelessness with the services and housing they need,' said Mayor Eric Garcetti and council President Nury Martinez in a joint statement.

 'We can and will do both, as we respond to this crisis in a way that is compassionate and responsive to the urgent needs in our communities.'