A man was killed early Saturday morning when the SUV he was driving veered off a freeway connector and slammed into an overpass in Boyle Heights, authorities said.
The single-vehicle crash happened about 3:06 a.m. on a transition road from the northbound 5 Freeway to the eastbound 10 Freeway (map), according to the California Highway Patrol.
A preliminary investigation indicated the Jeep Cherokee was traveling at an “extremely high rate of speed” when it went up an embankment and was pinned underneath the overpass, said CHP Officer Justin Paul.
There were no skid marks or other evidence that the driver applied the brakes before the collision, Paul said.
The impact of the crash flattened the top half of the SUV, which was pulled out from between the embankment and bridge by a Los Angeles Fire Department tow truck.
The unidentified driver was pronounced dead at the scene.
A SigAlert was issued by the CHP, and the connector was closed for several hours. The road was reopened by 7:30 a.m.
The cause of the incident is under investigation.
