1 dead after car crashes, tumbling into Malibu Canyon

July 26, 2024

One person was killed Wednesday after a car careened off the road in the Malibu hills, authorities said.

The deadly crash occurred about 5:30 p.m. on Malibu Canyon Road near Adamson Flat, less than two miles north of Pacific Coast Highway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The crash shut down traffic in both directions of Malibu Canyon Road, a two-lane stretch that cuts through the Santa Monica Mountains, uniting Calabasas with Malibu and Pacific Coast Highway.

The road curves along the hills and can be treacherous, with steep drop-offs into the canyon below. The passage has been the site of multiple fatal crashes over the years.

Aerial footage Wednesday night from KTLA-TV showed a gray-silver vehicle had tumbled more than 100 feet off the cliffside into the brush and rocky ravine below. Firefighters were traversing the canyon to reach the vehicle.

It’s unclear what led to the crash, which is under investigation by the CHP. The L.A. County Medical Examiner-Coroner responded to the scene; the identity of the person who died was not released.

In October, 25-year-old Luis Gonzalez died on Malibu Canyon Road when his car rolled over and tumbled over an embankment about a mile north of Pacific Coast Highway.

In 2022, two vehicles collided along the road, killing 18-year-old Skylar Scripter and injuring several others.

Wednesday’s fatal crash comes months after four Pepperdine University students were killed when they were struck by a car as they stood alongside Pacific Coast Highway. Then-22-year-old motorist Fraser Bohm was charged with murder and manslaughter. The incident revived safety concerns about speeding motorists in and around the scenic coastal enclave.

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