Father killed teaching teen daughter to drive in Laguna Beach on Memorial Day ID’d

The name of a local man who died during a Memorial Day driving lesson with his 15-year-old daughter after their vehicle plummeted down an embankment onto Coast Highway below, was released by a law enforcement official Tuesday. Laguna Beach police spokesperson Lt. Jesse Schmidt said 64-year-old James Politoski was teaching the teen, who was practicing driving with a learner’s permit, in the parking lot of the Aliso Creek Plaza Shopping Center at around 2:30 p.m. Monday. “Preliminarily, we suspect it was a father-daughter driving lesson, and he was teaching her the rules of the road,” Schmidt said Tuesday. Police and fire personnel were called to a stretch of Coast Highway between Wesley and Montage Resort drives by a 911 call placed at 2:43 p.m. The vehicle, a Volkswagen Type-1 (Beetle) convertible, apparently became out of the driver's control during the lesson and crashed through a fence barrier, careened down a roughly 40-foot embankment and landed upside down on the highway below. The top of the convertible was reportedly closed at the time of the incident, police report, and the Beetle hit a parked car before stopping, causing light damage to that vehicle. Politoski was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a news release. The driver, whose name is not being released to the public because she is a minor, was transported to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo with significant injuries and, as of Tuesday morning, was listed in stable condition, according to Schmidt. Preliminary investigation points to the possibility that the teen may have confused the pedals during the driving lesson, Schmidt said Tuesday. “It appears to be a gas-brake pedal confusion sort of incident,” the spokesman said. “It’s just tragic, especially on Memorial Day. Our condolences go out to the family and friends affected by this.” Pacific Coast Highway was closed in both directions for roughly three hours to accommodate paramedics and the subsequent investigation before fully reopening to traffic, according to Schmidt.