Father Dies in Terrible Accident While Teaching Daughter to Drive
A father in California sadly lost his life in a deadly accident earlier this week while teaching his daughter to drive.
James Politoski, 64, of Laguna Beach was in the car with his 15-year-old daughter Monday afternoon when the teenager, who has her learner's permit, accidentally drove through the fence of the upper parking lot of a shuttered Gelson's Market and continued down an embankment. The car reportedly rolled 40 feet off the cliff before coming to a rest upside down on the Coast Highway between Wesley and Montage Resort drives, according to FOX 11.
Politoski, the only passenger in the car, was pronounced dead at the scene. His daughter, whose name is being withheld, was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries, but is reportedly expected to survive.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation as of Wednesday afternoon.
"This is a heartbreaking situation that not only impacts the immediate families involved but also deeply affects our entire community," LBPD Lieutenant Jesse Schmidt told Fox News Digital. "It is always difficult when an accident leads to the loss of life—especially under circumstances where a parent was simply trying to do the right thing by teaching their child a valuable life skill."
Obviously, it goes without saying how absolutely tragic this situation is. Politoski was trying to do the right thing, as Schmidt said, and help his daughter.
It's wonderful news that the teenager will survive, but she's going to need a long time to recover not only from her physical injuries, but also from the pain of losing her father under these circumstances.
We're keeping her, as well as the rest of Politoski's family and friends, in our minds and hearts throughout this difficult time.