'Someone Lost Their Life by Being a Good Parent'

Authorities have described a terrible accident in California in which "someone lost their life by being a good parent." A father was teaching his teenage daughter to drive on the afternoon of May 26 when the 15-year-old apparently drove through a fence barrier in a parking lot in Laguna Beach and off a 40-foot cliff, per the Sacramento Bee. The Volkswagen convertible went down a steep embankment and landed upside down on the Pacific Coast Highway, per CBS News. The 64-year-old father was pronounced dead at the scene, while the daughter, who had a driver's permit, was taken to hospital with significant injuries. She remained hospitalized Wednesday in stable condition.

The girl's mother told police the teen appeared to be driving along the usual route for her driving lessons, per CBS. Lt. Jesse Schmidt said he suspected "gas pedal-brake pedal confusion," per KCAL. "It is always difficult when an accident leads to the loss of life—especially under circumstances where a parent was simply trying to do the right thing by teaching their child a valuable life skill," he tells the Bee.