Four dead in fiery car crash in Long Beach, federal agency investigating
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- Four people were killed in a fiery single-vehicle crash near Long Beach Airport early Saturday, authorities said.
- The NTSB, the federal agency that investigates major transportation accidents, dispatched a team .
- Video showed a gray sedan engulfed in flames after hitting a divider beneath the airport.
Four people were killed Saturday in a fiery car crash near Long Beach Airport, and police are investigating whether speed played a role.
The National Transportation Safety Board, the federal agency that investigates significant crashes on highways, railroad lines and commercial airspace, said on X that it is sending its own team to Long Beach to investigate the collision, which took place near an airport runway.
Police responded at 1:18 a.m. to a single-vehicle collision in the area near Lakewood Boulevard and Spring Street, authorities said.
Investigators said they believe a 2008 Honda Accord was traveling southbound on Lakewood when it hit the center median curb, lost control and then struck a center support wall of a tunnel that runs underneath the runway.
“At this time, speed and impairment are being investigated” as possible factors in the collision, according to a statement issued by the Long Beach Police Department.
Video broadcast by KTLA-TV showed smoke pouring from the Honda on Lakewood Boulevard as it was engulfed in flames.
Firefighters pronounced four people dead at the scene — two males and two females, the department said. One female died from her injuries outside the Honda, and the other three were found inside the vehicle, police said.
Their ages were not disclosed.
Police shut down Lakewood in both directions between Spring and Willow streets immediately after the crash. The California Highway Patrol also closed the northbound Lakewood exit of the 405 Freeway for several hours.
Investigators are looking to speak with members of the public who either saw the collision or can identify the driver.
Tipsters may contact Det. Ashley Van Holland at (562) 570-7355 or leave information anonymously by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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