KTLA

Violent crash destroys car and tree in Seal Beach, 2 hospitalized

Two people were injured after a large SUV struck a tree in Seal Beach early Sunday morning, smashing the car to pieces and downing the tree that was hit.

The crash, which occurred at about 4 a.m., sent a great deal of debris into the roadway near Seal Beach Boulevard and East Pacific Coast Highway, according to a Twitter post by the Orange County Fire Authority.

While one of the SUV’s occupants was able to get out on their own, responders had to extricate the other.

Both were taken to a local trauma center, and their conditions remain unknown.

Images from the scene showed the front half of the SUV utterly destroyed, as the front axle appeared to be detached from the vehicle.

The tree appeared to be broken at ground level, causing it to fall into the street.