Latest news with #JesseSchmidt
Yahoo
4 days ago
- 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
Indianapolis Star
4 days ago
- Indianapolis Star
A dad was reportedly giving his daughter a driving lesson. He then died in a tragic way.
A man died in a single-vehicle traffic collision while teaching a teen girl how to drive in Laguna Beach, California, according to police. The teen girl is the man's daughter, according to reports. The incident occurred near Coast Highway in the area on Memorial Day, May 26, just before 3:00 p.m., per local police. It involved a 15-year-old driver with a permit and an adult male passenger in the vehicle. A preliminary investigation revealed that the driver "traveled from the upper parking lot" of a supermarket and "breached a fence barrier and continued down an embankment before coming to rest" on the highway, police said. USA TODAY has reached out to the Laguna Beach Police Department for more information. Nashville-bound Greyhound bus crashes: 2 dead, 39 injured According to the Laguna Beach Police Department, the man died at the scene. The driver was hospitalized with significant injuries. "It appeared to be on a permitted driver ... with her father out essentially in a driving lesson sort of situation," Lt. Jesse Schmidt told KCAL News. "Gas pedal-brake pedal confusion and tumbled over a 40-foot cliff onto Coast Highway." Outlets have reported that the teen is in stable condition and will survive her injuries. An investigation is ongoing.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Automotive
- USA Today
A dad was reportedly giving his daughter a driving lesson. He then died in a tragic way.
A dad was reportedly giving his daughter a driving lesson. He then died in a tragic way. A man died in a single-vehicle traffic collision while teaching a teen girl how to drive in Laguna Beach, California, according to police. The teen girl is the man's daughter, according to reports. The incident occurred near Coast Highway in the area on Memorial Day, May 26, just before 3:00 p.m., per local police. It involved a 15-year-old driver with a permit and an adult male passenger in the vehicle. A preliminary investigation revealed that the driver "traveled from the upper parking lot" of a supermarket and "breached a fence barrier and continued down an embankment before coming to rest" on the highway, police said. Nashville-bound Greyhound bus crashes: 2 dead, 39 injured Man died, teen driver injured; investigation ongoing According to the Laguna Beach Police Department, the man died at the scene. The driver was hospitalized with significant injuries. "It appeared to be on a permitted driver ... with her father out essentially in a driving lesson sort of situation," Lt. Jesse Schmidt told KCAL News. "Gas pedal-brake pedal confusion and tumbled over a 40-foot cliff onto Coast Highway." Outlets have reported that the teen is in stable condition and will survive her injuries. An investigation is ongoing. Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@
Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Father killed teaching teen daughter to drive in Laguna Beach on Memorial Day ID'd
The name of a local man who died during a Memorial Day driving lesson with his 15-year-old daughter after their vehicle plummeted down an embankment onto Coast Highway below, was released by a law enforcement official Tuesday. Laguna Beach police spokesperson Lt. Jesse Schmidt said 64-year-old James Politoski was teaching the teen, who was practicing driving with a learner's permit, in the parking lot of the Aliso Creek Plaza Shopping Center at around 2:30 p.m. Monday. 'Preliminarily, we suspect it was a father-daughter driving lesson, and he was teaching her the rules of the road,' Schmidt said Tuesday. Police and fire personnel were called to a stretch of Coast Highway between Wesley and Montage Resort drives by a 911 call placed at 2:43 p.m. The vehicle, a Volkswagen Type-1 (Beetle) convertible, apparently became out of the driver's control during the lesson and crashed through a fence barrier, careened down a roughly 40-foot embankment and landed upside down on the highway below. The top of the convertible was reportedly closed at the time of the incident, police report, and the Beetle hit a parked car before stopping, causing light damage to that vehicle. Politoski was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a news release. The driver, whose name is not being released to the public because she is a minor, was transported to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo with significant injuries and, as of Tuesday morning, was listed in stable condition, according to Schmidt. Preliminary investigation points to the possibility that the teen may have confused the pedals during the driving lesson, Schmidt said Tuesday. 'It appears to be a gas-brake pedal confusion sort of incident,' the spokesman said. 'It's just tragic, especially on Memorial Day. Our condolences go out to the family and friends affected by this.' Pacific Coast Highway was closed in both directions for roughly three hours to accommodate paramedics and the subsequent investigation before fully reopening to traffic, according to Schmidt.
