Driver dies after crash in Bixby Knolls, police say
This is the 52nd traffic fatality reported by the LBPD this year, up from 40 last year, according to police data.
Police say they’re investigating the death of a man involved in a crash near Long Beach Boulevard and East San Antonio Drive early Saturday night.
The man was driving a 2005 Nissan Altima northbound on Long Beach Boulevard at a high rate of speed around 6:57 p.m. when he rear-ended a 2018 Jeep Cherokee, according to Long Beach police. The collision pushed the Jeep Cherokee through the pedestrian sidewalk, where it hit a fire hydrant and then a 2007 Chevrolet Suburban in a parking lot, police added.
Upon arrival, LBPD officers found the driver of the Altima unconscious and still inside the car, according to police. Officers gave the man aid until Long Beach Fire Department personnel arrived and took over, police said. Despite the aid, the driver died of his injuries at the scene, according to authorities.
The identity of the driver is being withheld pending notification of the next of kin by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner, police said.
No other injuries were reported, according to police.
The drivers of the Jeep Cherokee and Chevrolet Suburban stayed at the scene and cooperated with the investigation, police said.
At this time, the LBPD said it believes that speed and impaired driving are factors in the collision.
Police are asking anyone who saw the crash to call the LBPD Collision Investigation Detail at 562-570-7355.
The crash comes two days after the LBPD announced that it had received a $350,000 grant from the state Office of Traffic safety to "to help reduce the number of serious injuries and deaths on our roads."
The grant will fund a variety of additional enforcement operations, DUI checkpoints, officer training programs and community presentations, police said.
This is the 52nd traffic fatality reported by the LBPD this year, making it the deadliest year since at least 2013, according to reports. The city averaged 27 traffic-related deaths from 2013 to 2019, police data shows.
In 2020, traffic-related fatalities reached a high of 49 and then dipped to 45 deaths in both 2021 and 2022, data shows. That figure dropped to 36 deaths in 2023 but then jumped back up to 40 last year.
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