Driver Ejected Onto 5 Freeway Sign After Fatal Crash

A man's body landed on a 5 Freeway sign after he was ejected from his car during a fatal crash.

Around 7 a.m. on Friday, a Ford Focus was seen driving at high speeds on the southbound side of the 5 Freeway near Glendale, when the car crashed into another car carrying three passengers, reports ABC 7. The Focus then rolled multiple times, during which the body of the driver was ejected from the car and catapulted up onto the platform of the freeway sign for the Colorado Street exit.

California Highway Patrol (CHP) confirmed that the driver—who has not yet been identified—died at the scene. CHP said the driver was not wearing a seat belt. The body of the victim, covered in a white sheet, remained on the sign's platform as of 9 a.m., reports KTLA.

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Two lanes of the southbound 5 were closed as authorities investigated the scene.

Update, 2:00 p.m.: The victim has been identified as Richard Pananian of Burbank, according to KTLA. No further information has been released about the passengers of the other vehicle that was involved in the collision. Original reports suggested the vehicle was Toyota Prius, but was later identified as a Ford Focus.

Update, 4:45 p.m. A witness said they saw Pananian passing other cars on the right shoulder of the freeway before the crash, KTLA reports. A witness told CHP that they saw the car moving at a high speed on the right shoulder, passing several cars. Pananian veered left from the shoulder and hit the back of the other vehicle before veering right and losing control of the car.