A 27-year-old man died Friday after a Tesla crashed into his motorcycle at the Jefferson Boulevard and McClintock Avenue intersection Friday morning.
Both drivers were trying to beat a yellow light when the victim, who has not yet been identified, was T-boned by the car driver, said Maxwell Nguyen, a freshman studying psychology who witnessed the crash.
“The motorcycle was in pieces, everywhere. There was gas leaking out of it, too,” Nguyen said. He said he saw the victim lying on the ground wearing a helmet but no other protective clothing.
Nguyen said the driver, a 22-year-old male, was a USC student. Neither LAPD or DPS would confirm this. The driver stayed at the scene and complied with law enforcement, LAPD said.
Nguyen is a registered EMT and immediately responded to the scene to help. Two others responded, including an off-duty firefighter who began performing CPR. EMTs took the victim in an ambulance to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
DPS Assistant Chief David Carlisle said it’s imperative to “ride and drive defensively” at busy intersections like along Jefferson.
“It’s a tragedy that probably did not have to occur,” Carlisle said.
No charges have been filed yet. An investigation is underway.
This is a developing story.