Man Dies When Car Hits Tree, Flips

A speeding motorist driving the wrong way on Owensmouth Avenue died early Sunday in Canoga Park after his car jumped the curb, slammed into a tree and flipped over, Los Angeles police said.

Jerry Hicks, 30, of Canoga Park died at the scene of the 2 a.m. crash near Eccles Street, Officer Barbara Weber said. No one else was injured.

Weber said Hicks was driving north in the southbound lanes of Owensmouth at a high rate of speed when he apparently lost control of his car, which struck a street sign and a tree before landing upside down.

It was unclear how fast Hicks was driving at the time of the crash, Weber said. She said it did not appear that alcohol played a role in the crash, but investigators will review autopsy results this week.