Family members and loved ones are devastated after a tragic incident in Orange County left a man dead and a young driver severely injured on Monday afternoon.
The Laguna Beach Police Department said that at 4:14 p.m., crews were dispatched to reports of an injury traffic collision on Coast Highway between Wesley and Montage Resort drives.
However, a preliminary investigation revealed that the crash did not originate on the highway but instead came to rest there after plummeting down a nearby embankment.
According to police, the young permit motorist, whose age or gender was not revealed, was driving in the upper parking lot of a Gelson’s Market with an adult male passenger when their vehicle breached a fence barrier and plunged over the edge of the structure.
Details are limited; officials did not immediately disclose what caused the driver to veer off the lot or how far of a drop it was to the ground.
After falling from the structure, the vehicle continued down an embankment before landing on Coast Highway.
Police said that the driver suffered “significant injuries” and was transported to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo for treatment.
“Tragically, an adult male passenger in the vehicle was pronounced deceased at the scene,” stated the department’s release. “The Laguna Beach Police Department extends its deepest condolences to the family and loved ones affected by this tragic incident.”
Police did not explicitly say whether the driver and passenger were family.
The cause of the deadly crash remains under investigation, and officials said additional details will be released as they become available.
