The teen had a valid driver’s permit

A TEENAGER’S driving lesson ended in horror after a deadly plunge off a cliff.

The crash killed the young girl’s father, who was teaching her how to drive, according to police.

64-year-old James Politoski was killed in a crash during his teenage daughter’s driving lesson

Politoski was in the passenger seat when it crashed through a fence in the upper parking lot
It happened on Memorial Day in Laguna Beach, California, just fifty miles from Los Angeles.

A 15-year-old girl was behind the wheel with her 64-year-old dad, James Politoski, in the passenger seat, according to police.

The lesson took place in an upper parking lot of a closed Gelson’s Market, cops said.

At some point, the teen drove through a fence, and the car careened off a 40-foot embankment.

The vehicle flipped and landed upside down on the sidewalk below Coast Highway, authorities said.

“It appeared to be on a permitted driver, a 15-year-old female driver with her father out, essentially, in a driving lesson sort of situation,” Lieutenant Jesse Schmidt of Laguna Peach told NBC local affiliate WSAZ.

“Gas pedal, brake pedal confusion, and tumbled over a 40-foot cliff on the Coast Highway,” Schmidt said.

Cops were able to confirm the teen had a valid driver’s permit.

Her father died at the scene, according to first responders.

Paramedics rushed the girl to the hospital with major injuries.
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She was in stable condition as of Wednesday, May 28, police said, and is expected to survive her injuries.

“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,” Schmidt said in a statement to The U.S. Sun.

“What began as an act of care and guidance ended in unimaginable sorrow.”

Aerial footage from CBS local affiliate KCAL showed the mangled car upside down near the highway.

Police Statement

On May 26, 2025, at approximately 2:43 p.m. Laguna Beach police and fire personnel responded to an injury traffic collision in the area of Coast Highway, between Wesley Drive and Montage Resort Drive.

Preliminary investigation indicates that a single vehicle, operated by a young driver with a permit, traveled from the upper parking lot of Gelson’s Market, breached a fence barrier, and continued down an embankment before coming to rest on Coast Highway.

The driver sustained significant injuries and was transported to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo for medical treatment.

Tragically, an adult male passenger in the vehicle was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The cause of the collision remains under investigation. Additional details will be released as they become available.

The Laguna Beach Police Department extends its deepest condolences to the family and loved ones affected by this tragic incident.

Police believe the teen may have accidentally hit the gas pedal instead of the brake.

The car tore through a fence before it went airborne, landing hard below.

“It’s a tragic incident,” Schmidt said.

“The community is shaken by this because someone lost their life by being a good parent.”

Authorities said the investigation into the crash is still ongoing.

“Tragically, an adult male passenger in the vehicle was pronounced deceased at the scene,” the department said in a statement.

“The Laguna Beach Police Department extends its deepest condolences to the family and loved ones affected by this tragic incident.”

The teenager’s name has not been publicly released.

The man’s 15-year-old daughter, who had a driver’s permit, was driving
Credit: WSAZ