County authorities Thursday publicly identified one of two people who died when a speeding sedan crashed into a light pole in the Winnetka neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley.
The crash was reported about 2 a.m. Tuesday in the 20500 block of W. Parthenia Street, near Mason Avenue, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Jamie Stewart.
The county Medical Examiner’s office identified one of the victims as Robert Johnson, 50. His place of residence was not immediately available.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Valley Traffic Division, the sedan was traveling at a high rate of speed when it struck the city light pole. The passenger was pronounced dead at the scene, while the driver was taken by ambulance to a hospital.
Police later confirmed that the driver also died from injuries suffered in the crash.
Video from the scene showed firefighters using hydraulic rescue tools to free the driver from the mangled wreckage, which was wrapped around the light pole. The vehicle’s engine was torn from the car and came to rest nearby.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.