Driver Vanishes After Crash Kills Passenger

An Arkansas man was crushed to death Saturday when the car in which he was riding hit a cement light standard and tipped over on him in Studio City, Los Angeles police said.

The driver of the car, who apparently suffered only minor injuries, climbed out and caught a ride with a passing motorist, Lt. Al Kerstein said. The driver was being sought by police, who would not identify him.

The 23-year-old passenger was partly thrown from his seat, then crushed when the car tipped over on Ventura Boulevard near Laurel Terrace Drive about 4:30 a.m., Kerstein said.

The victim’s name was not released. Officers said he was not wearing a seat belt.

The driver apparently did not tell the motorist with whom he hitched a ride that a passenger had been with him in the car, Kerstein said.

Kerstein said a woman called police three hours after the accident and told them that the two men had been drinking at her house. She had asked the men not to drive, but they ignored her warnings, Kerstein said.