Two U.S. Navy sailors were killed in a crash in San Diego’s Rancho Bernardo community early Friday after their car plowed into a tree, the impact trapping them inside their vehicle.
San Diego Police Department Sgt. Nick Browder said the deadly crash happened just after 12:45 a.m. at 16450 Bernardo Heights Parkway, just east of Paseo Lucido.
Two men were in a Mercedes when the driver slammed into a tree.
The driver and his passenger were trapped inside their mangled car for about 20 minutes. The force of the collision split the car in half, but emergency crews had to cut through the doors and roof in order to remove the men from inside.
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They were then rushed to local hospitals, but both died, Browder confirmed.
The names of the men have not yet been released by officials, but the Navy confirmed Friday afternoon the two men were active-duty sailors.
“Unfortunately, a Sailor assigned to USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), and a Sailor assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 14, were involved in a fatal vehicle accident in Rancho Bernardo, California this morning. The Abraham Lincoln crew and our HSC-14 Sailors deeply mourn this loss," Lt. Alyssa La Rosa, spokesperson for Commander, Naval Air Forces said. "The incident remains under investigation and the U.S. Navy is cooperating fully with local authorities. Please contact the San Diego Police Department for more information on this incident.”
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The investigation is ongoing; as of 5 a.m. Friday, no details had been released about what may have led up to the deadly crash.
