Father, Toddler Daughter Killed Inside Home After Truck Slams Into It

A man and his 3-year-old daughter died Tuesday after a truck crashed into an apartment building in Long Beach, California.

The unidentified driver ran away from the crash after it occurred, according to Long Beach police. The incident came about a month after the U.S. Department of Transportation reported a "record pace" of traffic fatalities in the first nine months of 2021.

Tuesday's crash in Long Beach was reported to authorities at about 10 p.m. local time, according to a news release issued Wednesday by the Long Beach Police Department. Officers said they arrived at an apartment building located along the 6600 block of Rose Avenue to find that a truck, described as a 2014 Dodge Ram pickup, had "collided" with the building. The truck's impact "injured multiple residents" who were inside the building at the time the crash occurred, police said.

A 42-year-old man was declared deceased when emergency personnel with the Long Beach Fire Department arrived at the crash site, police said. The man's 3-year-old daughter was taken to a local hospital for treatment of her injuries but died after arriving, according to authorities.

Neither the man nor his daughter will be publicly identified until the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office notifies their family members, police said.

Before the collision occurred, police said the vehicle had been traveling north along Rose Avenue at "a high rate of speed." The truck's driver was not at the building by the time police arrived on the scene. The driver was believed to have left the crash site on foot ahead of officers' arrival, per authorities.

Long Beach police did not identify the driver on Wednesday beyond saying they believe the driver to be a man in his early or mid-20s. Authorities encouraged anyone who thinks they may have information about the driver or the crash to contact the Long Beach Police Department's Collision Investigation Detail detectives or Los Angeles Regional Crime Stoppers.

Long Beach police told Newsweek they had no further updates on their investigation to share when reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) has identified younger male drivers as a "statistically riskier driver group." While AAA researchers said only a small percentage of Americans reported increasing their driving during the coronavirus pandemic, a report released earlier this week found those who reported driving more during the pandemic were "more likely" than other drivers to report practicing risky driving behaviors, including speeding along residential streets.