Father killed in Laguna Beach crash while teaching his daughter to drive, police say

A man was trying to teach his daughter how to drive on Memorial Day when the lesson turned deadly.

James Politoski, 64, of Laguna Beach was teaching his 15-year-old daughter how to drive Monday around 2:43 p.m. when she drove from the upper parking lot of a Gelson’s Market, breached the fence, and continued down an embankment to Coast Highway near Wesley Drive and Montage Resort Drive, according to the Laguna Beach Police Department.

The teenager was significantly injured and hospitalized in Mission Viejo, according to authorities. Politoski was pronounced dead at the scene.

Video of the scene from KTLA shows that the car plummeted off the embankment and landed upside down on the highway.

“The Laguna Beach Police Department extends its deepest condolences to the family and loved ones affected by this tragic incident,” a police news release said.