Two men were killed when a large SUV plunged from Studebaker Road into a canal near the San Gabriel River and a power plant in Long Beach, authorities said Monday.
The crash was reported about 6:20 p.m. Sunday on Studebaker Road south of Loynes Drive, Long Beach Fire Department Capt. Jake Heflin told City News Service.
Police said in a public statement that a 2004 GMC Yukon was heading north on Studebaker Road at a considerable speed. The vehicle was observed driving erratically through traffic, and it appeared the driver lost control. The SUV collided with a portion of the bridge over the Los Cerritos Channel, igniting in flames before plummeting into the water below.
The vehicle was northbound just south of Loynes Drive when it went into about 10 feet of water, Heflin said.
Arriving firefighters summoned lifeguards and Urban Search and Rescue divers who pulled a man in his 30s from the water. He was rushed to a hospital while CPR was performed, the captain said. That man was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Divers continued to search in and around the SUV and found another man trapped inside, Heflin said. The Los Angeles County Fire Department’s heavy wrecker pulled the vehicle from the water, and that man was pronounced dead at the scene.
It appeared the SUV was the only vehicle involved in the crash, he said.
Studebaker Road was closed in both directions from Second Street to Loynes Drive for the investigation, Heflin said.
Police said that speed, reckless driving, and impaired driving are being investigated as potential factors in this collision.
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