Ferrari, splits in half, kills one

The accident occurred through a pair of S-curves on the Pacific Coast Highway just beyond the Los Angeles city limits in the direction of Pacific Palisades, about 400m past the famous Sunset Boulevard.

According to Los Angeles detective Robert DeArmon the Ferrari was travelling at 160km/h through the curves when the driver, 24-year old Vladimir Skvortsov, lost control. The Ferrari crashed into a power-line support beam and split in half before coming to rest on a beach 10m below.

Skvortsov’s was taken to the UCLA medical centre in a critical condition. His passenger, 23-year old Basil Max Price III, died on the scene. Police closed thie highway for six hours.

Power in the immediate vicinity of the accident was knocked out as a result of the damaged support beam. It remained unclear whether the Ferrari 360 belonged to Skvortsov (who owns an automotive detailing business) belonged to a customer.

...AND DOWN UNDER

Meanwhile, an Australian family escaped serious injury when a car ploughed through their lounge and kitchen before and onward to the back stoep. Police in Perth said the young male driver tried to flee after the accident late on Sunday but was detained then released pending investigation, the West Australian newspaper reported.

Victoria Keep told national broadcaster ABC how she found her husband under a pile of bricks with a broken jaw.

"All I could hear was mumbling," she said. "I had to dig him out of the rubble. He was covered in blood."

She and her young son were uninjured, the West Australian said.