A tragic and strange accident happened on the highway in Griffith Park near Glendale, California, on Friday morning. A 20-year-old man lost control of his car and was ejected from his vehicle in the fatal crash. The car was traveling at such a high rate of speed that it ejected the man’s body up and on top of the Interstate 5 freeway sign.
According to the L.A. Times , the California Highway Patrol received a call at 7 a.m. and in regard to a crash involving a Ford Focus. The vehicle was traveling recklessly on the southbound side of the 5 freeway just north of California 134.
Not long after the call was received, the Ford Focus collided with another car and overturned. The driver in the Focus was ejected from the vehicle and ended up landing on top of the street sign for the upcoming Colorado Street exit.
Not a lot of info had been released on the driver, per Edgar Figueroa, a public information officer for the California Highway Patrol. It is known that the driver is from Burbank and was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
Figueroa was astounded by what happened on the scene.
“I’ve never seen anything like this or heard anything like this. It’s the first time.”
To assist in getting the man’s body down off of the highway sign, the Los Angeles Fire Department arrived on the scene. With ladders, ropes, and the assistance of the fire truck, they were able to remove his body.
RIP to the driver of this accident. Driver ejected onto 5 Fwy sign @KTLA #Glendale pic.twitter.com/UIPt6UFT5b
— Everything L.A. (@LosAngelesToday) October 30, 2015
The man was pronounced dead on the scene and those in the pickup truck were not injured. The pickup truck had three passengers in it. It was later revealed that the deceased was 20-year-old Richard Pananian.
He was said to be traveling at a very high rate of speed and driving recklessly at the time of the accident on the 5 freeway according to NBC Los Angeles .
Upon being ejected from the vehicle, Pananian traveled about 20 feet into the air and landed on the metal frame of the freeway sign. Figueroa warned drivers of just how serious it is to follow the posted speed limits.
“It is disturbing and it just highlights how dangerous driving at high rates of speed could be.”
After police and the fire department arrived on the scene to investigate the fatal accident and to remove Pananian’s body from the sign, the 5 freeway remained closed for a few hours. So far, the police have not revealed any information on whether or not the victim was under the influence at the time of the crash.
By 11 a.m., the highway lanes were reopened for traffic to continue on as normal.
Crash Victim Lands On SB 5 Freeway Sign After Ejecting From Vehicle In Glendale https://t.co/3JiUePHHrG
— Los Angeles News (@LA_Trends) October 30, 2015
The police are still looking into everything dealing with the fatal crash that took the life of Richard Pananian, but they are issuing incredibly strong warnings. As if death wasn’t tragic enough, the fact that the victim’s body landed on a 20-foot-high highway sign shows just how dangerous high speeds can be.
The accident happened around Griffith Park right near the Glendale, California, area, but it has now resonated across the country. Richard Pananian’s life ended when he was driving at high speeds and recklessly which led to a fatal accident that ejected him from his vehicle and up onto the top of a 5 freeway highway sign.
[Image via Getty Images/Wesley Hitt]
