![\"police](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/eda89266-c5c7-4486-98fd-e0c0a2ef4740-A.jpg\")
<\/a>Caleb Gainer, 22, was killed early Saturday when the vehicle he was riding in crashed near Long Beach Airport, according to authorities.<\/p>\n\nThe tragic crash occurred not far from Long Beach Airport, authorities said.<\/p>\n
\nAccording to preliminary findings, a 2008 Honda Accord carrying four people veered off the southbound lanes of Lakewood Boulevard around 1:20 a.m. and crashed into a concrete median inside the tunnel underneath the airport. The vehicle became engulfed in flames after the collision, and three occupants were trapped inside. One of the victims, a 22-year-old woman from Huntington Park, was found outside the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.<\/p>\n
\nPolice said the three other victims, ages 22, 22 and 28, were pronounced dead inside the burned vehicle.<\/p>\n
\nThe medical examiner identified one of the victims as 22-year-old Caleb Gainer.<\/p>\n
\nSpeed and impairment may have played a role, police said. The investigation is underway.<\/p>\n
CRASH INVESTIGATION NEEDED<\/p>\n
\nExcessive speed contributes to almost a third of U.S. traffic deaths annually. It limits reaction time, increases crash severity, and puts all road users at risk.<\/p>\n
\nImpaired drivers, with delayed reflexes and poor judgment, are far more likely to cause deadly crashes. These entirely preventable tragedies continue to shatter lives and families across the country. On average over the 10-year period from 2014-2023, about 11,000 people died every year in drunk-driving crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association.<\/p>\n
\nWhile the cause and liability of the crash are being investigated, Candice Bond, an experienced accident attorney and Managing Partner of Bond Legal, said that it is imperative to have an independent investigation conducted by a seasoned attorney.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIn addition to the diligent work of law enforcement, an attorney can re-interview important witnesses, analyze any surveillance video from the scene of the crash, and obtain phone and texting records of the liable party,\u201d said Bond, a national analyst for The Legal Advocate.<\/p>\n
\nTime is of the essence in cases such as this, and the family of a victim must be ensured that evidence is reviewed in an efficient manner.\u00a0<\/p>\n
WRONGFUL DEATH CLAIM<\/p>\n
\nPending the investigation, the family members of Caleb Gainer may be entitled to a wrongful death claim. Family members of wrongful death victims may seek damages for loss of companionship, pain and suffering, and emotional distress following a catastrophic accident.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe understand that losing a loved one is not only a deeply emotional loss but also an economic one,\u201d said Stefano Formica, of counsel with Bond Legal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIf you have lost a loved one due to someone else\u2019s negligence, contact a wrongful death attorney and get the guidance needed to obtain the justice you deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n
(This report is based on verified data – learn more on our About Us<\/a> page.)<\/p>\n Have you been in a similar accident and need help? Speak to one of The Legal Advocate’s national legal analysts now free of charge for a no-obligation.<\/p>\n (Candice Bond, Managing Partner, and Stefano Formica, Of Counsel, at Bond Legal, are the national legal analysts for The Legal Advocate. The Legal Advocate can and does use quotes from prior interviews with our analysts for our news articles. If you would like to contact Bond Legal to help you, please call 866-599-0297<\/a> or use the submission box found on this page. Legal analysts quoted may or may not be licensed in your state).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Speed, impairment suspected in deadly Long Beach accident LONG BEACH, CA, (February 21, 2026) – Three 22-year-olds were…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":194981,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[131,133,132],"class_list":{"0":"post-194980","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-long-beach","8":"tag-long-beach","9":"tag-long-beach-headlines","10":"tag-long-beach-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=194980"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194980\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/194981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=194980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=194980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}