Latest news with #JamesPolitoski
The Sun
28-05-2025
- General
- The Sun
Teen girl, 15, crashes car off 40ft cliff and kills her dad in the passenger seat who was teaching her to drive
A TEENAGER'S driving lesson ended in horror after a deadly plunge off a cliff. The crash killed the young girl's father, who was teaching her how to drive, according to police. 3 3 It happened on Memorial Day in Laguna Beach, California, just fifty miles from Los Angeles. A 15-year-old girl was behind the wheel with her 64-year-old dad, James Politoski, in the passenger seat, according to police. The lesson took place in an upper parking lot of a closed Gelson's Market, cops said. At some point, the teen drove through a fence, and the car careened off a 40-foot embankment. The vehicle flipped and landed upside down on the sidewalk below Coast Highway, authorities said. 'It appeared to be on a permitted driver, a 15-year-old female driver with her father out, essentially, in a driving lesson sort of situation,' Lieutenant Jesse Schmidt of Laguna Peach told NBC local affiliate WSAZ. "Gas pedal, brake pedal confusion, and tumbled over a 40-foot cliff on the Coast Highway," Schmidt said. Cops were able to confirm the teen had a valid driver's permit. Her father died at the scene, according to first responders. Paramedics rushed the girl to the hospital with major injuries. She was in stable condition as of Wednesday, May 28, police said, and is expected to survive her injuries. 'It is always difficult when an accident leads to the loss of life, especially under circumstances where a parent was simply trying to do the right thing by teaching their child a valuable life skill,' Schmidt said in a statement to The U.S. Sun. 'What began as an act of care and guidance ended in unimaginable sorrow.' Aerial footage from CBS local affiliate KCAL showed the mangled car upside down near the highway. Police Statement On May 26, 2025, at approximately 2:43 p.m. Laguna Beach police and fire personnel responded to an injury traffic collision in the area of Coast Highway, between Wesley Drive and Montage Resort Drive. Preliminary investigation indicates that a single vehicle, operated by a young driver with a permit, traveled from the upper parking lot of Gelson's Market, breached a fence barrier, and continued down an embankment before coming to rest on Coast Highway. The driver sustained significant injuries and was transported to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo for medical treatment. Tragically, an adult male passenger in the vehicle was pronounced deceased at the scene. The cause of the collision remains under investigation. Additional details will be released as they become available. The Laguna Beach Police Department extends its deepest condolences to the family and loved ones affected by this tragic incident. Source: Laguna Beach PD Police believe the teen may have accidentally hit the gas pedal instead of the brake. The car tore through a fence before it went airborne, landing hard below. 'It's a tragic incident,' Schmidt said. "The community is shaken by this because someone lost their life by being a good parent." Authorities said the investigation into the crash is still ongoing. 'Tragically, an adult male passenger in the vehicle was pronounced deceased at the scene,' the department said in a statement. 'The Laguna Beach Police Department extends its deepest condolences to the family and loved ones affected by this tragic incident.' The teenager's name has not been publicly released. 3
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Father dies in tragic accident while teaching teen daughter to drive
A 64-year-old California man was killed while teaching his teen daughter to drive, the Laguna Beach Police Department (LBPD) confirmed to Fox News Digital on Wednesday. LBPD also told Fox News Digital that the 15-year-old had a learner's permit. The fatal crash took place late Monday afternoon on the Golden State's Coast Highway. James Politoski was the only passenger in the vehicle, according to Fox 11, a Fox News affiliate. Los Angeles Tour Bus Crash Leaves 1 Dead, 32 Hospitalized On Mother's Day The teen girl, whose name is being withheld because she is a minor, "sustained significant injuries," according to LBPD. She is expected to survive. The vehicle reportedly broke through a fence barrier before rolling down an embankment and flipping upside down onto the highway, according to Fox 11. Driver Suddenly Stops In Middle Of Highway, Causes Multi-car Crash, Then Leaves: Video Read On The Fox News App "This is a heartbreaking situation that not only impacts the immediate families involved but also deeply affects our entire community," LBPD's Lieutenant Jesse Schmidt told Fox News Digital. "It is always difficult when an accident leads to the loss of life—especially under circumstances where a parent was simply trying to do the right thing by teaching their child a valuable life skill." Schmidt also expressed the department's condolences to the family and friends of Politoski. The cause of the crash is still under investigation. Original article source: Father dies in tragic accident while teaching teen daughter to drive
Fox News
28-05-2025
- General
- Fox News
Father dies in tragic accident while teaching teen daughter to drive
Print Close By Rachel Wolf Published May 28, 2025 A 64-year-old California man was killed while teaching his teen daughter to drive, the Laguna Beach Police Department (LBPD) confirmed to Fox News Digital on Wednesday. LBPD also told Fox News Digital that the 15-year-old had a learner's permit. The fatal crash took place late Monday afternoon on the Golden State's Coast Highway. James Politoski was the only passenger in the vehicle, according to Fox 11, a Fox News affiliate. LOS ANGELES TOUR BUS CRASH LEAVES 1 DEAD, 32 HOSPITALIZED ON MOTHER'S DAY The teen girl, whose name is being withheld because she is a minor, "sustained significant injuries," according to LBPD. She is expected to survive. The vehicle reportedly broke through a fence barrier before rolling down an embankment and flipping upside down onto the highway, according to Fox 11. DRIVER SUDDENLY STOPS IN MIDDLE OF HIGHWAY, CAUSES MULTI-CAR CRASH, THEN LEAVES: VIDEO "This is a heartbreaking situation that not only impacts the immediate families involved but also deeply affects our entire community," LBPD's Lieutenant Jesse Schmidt told Fox News Digital. "It is always difficult when an accident leads to the loss of life—especially under circumstances where a parent was simply trying to do the right thing by teaching their child a valuable life skill." Schmidt also expressed the department's condolences to the family and friends of Politoski. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The cause of the crash is still under investigation. Print Close URL
Epoch Times
28-05-2025
- Epoch Times
64-Year-Old Man Dies Teaching Teen Daughter How to Drive
A 64-year-old man who was teaching his teenage daughter how to drive died on Monday after the car plunged over a cliff in Laguna Beach, California. The 15-year-old girl was practicing driving with her dad, identified by police as James Politoski, in a Gelson's Market parking lot, which has parking spots along a 40-foot embankment facing the Pacific Coast Highway. The Laguna Beach Police Department said the car drove through the fence and fell off the hill, flipping over and landing on its roof on a sidewalk below. Politoski, who was sitting in the passenger seat, was pronounced dead at the scene. The teenager, who had a permit, was taken to a hospital with serious injuries but is in stable condition as of Tuesday morning, Lt. Jesse Schmidt told The Epoch Times. Police confirmed the driver and passenger were father and daughter, and Laguna Beach residents. Photos from the scene suggest the car was a Volkswagen Beetle. No one else was injured. 'It is really tragic,' said Schmidt. 'Somebody lost their life being a good parent.' Related Stories 5/27/2025 5/26/2025 Schmidt told The Epoch Times that driving around the parking lot was part of their regular practice route. 'It was a father-daughter driving lesson. She's a permitted driver, and Dad was taking her out on a normal route that they had practiced before. Just a really tragic accident, really is what it comes down to.' The accident was reported just before 4:15 p.m. between Wesley and Montage Resort drives. The accident is currently an ongoing investigation, police said. No other injuries were reported. 'Our condolences go out to the family and the loved ones around this that are affected,' he added. 'This doesn't just affect their family, it affects the whole community.' Reinforcing the fence around the parking lot facing the cliff is not out of the question, said Schmidt, but that conversation hasn't been instigated with property owners yet, citing the ongoing investigation.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Father killed in Laguna Beach crash while teaching his 15-year-old daughter how to drive, police say
He was trying to teach his daughter how to drive on Memorial Day when the lesson turned deadly. James Politoski, 64, of Laguna Beach was teaching his 15-year-old daughter how to drive Monday around 2:43 p.m. when she drove from the upper parking lot of a Gelson's Market, breached the fence, and continued down an embankment to the Coast Highway near Wesley Drive and Montage Resort Drive, according to the Laguna Beach Police Department. The teenager was significantly injured and hospitalized at Mission Viejo, according to authorities. Politoski was pronounced dead at the scene. Additional details weren't available. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
