Driver dead after crash with semi-truck in West Long Beach; passenger in critical condition, police say
Long Beach police say the driver may have been impaired and made an illegal turn before being struck by the truck.
Police are investigating a Tuesday morning crash in West Long Beach that killed a person they suspect of driving under the influence and left their passenger in critical condition.
The crash happened just after 8 a.m. near Harbor Avenue and Anaheim Street, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
The driver of a 2012 Toyota Camry was traveling westbound on a road parallel to Anaheim Street, just west of the 710 Freeway, when they made an illegal left turn onto Harbor Avenue, authorities said.
That’s when the driver of a semi-truck going westbound on Anaheim Street struck the Camry as it turned, police said.
Long Beach Fire Department personnel arrived at the scene and took the Camry’s driver and passenger to a local hospital for treatment, police said. There, the driver died from their injuries, while the passenger is in critical condition, police said.
The driver’s identity was not immediately released as the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office works to notify their relatives.
The semi-truck driver remained at the scene and cooperated with the investigation, according to police, but they did not indicate whether that driver was injured.
At present, authorities allege the Camry’s driver may have been impaired, although speed and distracted driving do not appear to be factors in the crash.
