Overview

• The incident occurred Monday around 4:10 p.m. when the teenager, holding a learner’s permit, drove through a wooden barrier in the upper lot of Gelson’s Market.
• The vehicle plunged approximately 40 feet down an embankment and landed upside down on Coast Highway.
• The teen’s 64-year-old father was pronounced dead at the scene and the driver was taken to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo with significant injuries.
• Laguna Beach Police Department officials say they have not yet determined what caused the barrier breach and that the investigation remains ongoing.
• Authorities have expressed condolences to the family and highlighted the dangers of practicing driving lessons in public parking areas.