A driver was killed after a car crashed into a La Verne backyard Tuesday morning.
The crash was reported about 9:30 a.m. along the 500 block of Baseline Road.
The driver of the car apparently lost control, jumped the curb and slammed into the back wall of the home, officials said.
The car caught fire in the yard and neighbors helped extinguish the flames with a hose, California Highway Patrol Officer Rodrigo Jimenez said.
Neighbor Alessio Capra said the impact of the crash sounded like a “bomb just going off.” He sprung into action and helped put out the fire.
“We didn’t even think about the car blowing up or anything, we just went straight over there,” he said.
First responders tried to get the driver out, but he died at the scene.
The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office identified the man as 48-year-old William Elftman Jr. of La Verne. No other injuries were reported.
The driver was apparently speeding before the crash, authorities said. The CHP received at least two calls about the car going over the posted speed limit in the area.
Aerial video from Sky5 showed the mangled vehicle in the backyard of the home.
The impact left car parts scattered across the yard, and firefighters were attempting to get the car out, video from the scene showed.
La Verne police closed Baseline Road in the area amid the investigation.
No further details about the incident have been released.
