A pre-dawn drive in Long Beach turned into a nightmare early Wednesday when a pickup tore through the center median on Studebaker Road near Loynes Drive and dropped into several feet of water beneath the bridge over the Los Cerritos Channel. The crash happened at about 4:20 a.m., according to emergency responders. A woman riding in the truck managed to crawl out, wade to shore and flag down help, while the driver was ejected from the vehicle and suffered life-threatening injuries. Both occupants were taken to a hospital.
The Long Beach Fire Department told crews at the scene that the pair, both in their 60s, had been heading southbound when the pickup breached the center divider and plunged into the channel, according to MyNewsLA. Fire officials said the passenger was able to crawl to shore and summon help while firefighters worked to free and treat the driver before both were transported to a local hospital. The woman's condition was not immediately known.
According to MyNewsLA, CBS LA reported from the crash scene that the man later died at the hospital, but fire officials could not immediately confirm that account. City crews and police had not released the names of the occupants or additional details as of mid-morning.
Where it happened
The collision occurred on a stretch of Studebaker Road that the city has already flagged for a safety overhaul. The Studebaker Road Transformation Project calls for landscaped medians, traffic-calming features and protected bike lanes aimed at cutting down on high-speed crashes along the corridor.
This segment near Loynes Drive has seen serious wrecks before. A January 2024 collision at Studebaker and Loynes killed two people, the Long Beach Police Department said in a press release. Anyone who witnessed Wednesday's crash or has dash-cam footage is asked to contact the LBPD Collision Investigation Detail at (562) 570-7355, according to the department's release (Long Beach Police Department).
