A 79-year-old woman died Friday evening when her car plunged approximately 25 feet from a parking lot in Laguna Beach, California, landing on a busy sidewalk below. The incident marks the second fatal crash at the Aliso Creek Plaza Shopping Center's elevated embankment in just over a year.
Laguna Beach police responded to the scene after the woman drove over a curb and through a wooden fence before her vehicle overturned during the fall. The driver was transported to Mission Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. No other injuries were reported.
The crash has renewed calls from local residents for improved safety measures at the site. In May 2025, 64-year-old James Politoski died in a similar incident at the same location. Politoski was a passenger in a vehicle his teenage daughter was driving when she accidentally accelerated through the parking lot's fence, sending the car over the embankment. Politoski was pronounced dead at the scene, while his daughter sustained severe injuries.
Investigators at the time suggested the teen may have confused the gas and brake pedals. Following that incident, residents began advocating for the replacement of the wooden barrier at the parking lot's edge with a more robust safety guardrail.
"This fence needs to be replaced," resident Joanne McMahon told KTLA5. "You can see the [nearby] ADA ramp. It’s a heavy duty steel structure so a car is not going to fly through it like this. I mean, you can see rotting wood in this fence."
McMahon is urging city officials to intervene and hold the shopping center owner accountable for the condition of the fence. "Something’s got to change and I think the city needs to get involved," she stated.
The Laguna Beach Police Department has confirmed that the latest collision is under investigation to determine the precise circumstances that led the vehicle to leave the roadway. Authorities have not yet indicated whether drugs, alcohol, or a medical emergency were contributing factors.