Malibu Crash Leaves 1 Dead, 1 Injured

Sheriffs continued Sunday to investigate a crash that left one man dead and a woman hospitalized in Malibu.

A man and woman in their 20s were hit by a car Saturday evening on the Pacific Coast Highway near El Matador Beach. The woman was airlifted to a hospital and the man was pronounced dead on the scene. No arrests have been made following the crash, authorities said.

The crash was at one of several small beaches owned by the state and

sandwiched between multi-million dollar estates west of Trancas. There, PCH

opens up to 55 mile per hour speed limits with long straightaways -- normally

without much cross traffic.

But on hot inland days, PCH traffic jams with slow vehicles making

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parallel parking maneuvers, and people walking in traffic lanes or crossing

them to reach the string of beaches.

Social media and internet guides to the ``secret'' beaches have prompted

increased crowds this year, deputies said, on a stretch of highway with

narrow shoulders, no walkways and fast traffic.

On Saturday, the woman was airlifted to a hospital and the man was

pronounced dead at the scene, a deputy said. They were described as being in

their 20s.

All lanes of PCH were closed at El Matador State Beach Saturday evening.

Eight hours earlier, a crash at Decker Canyon Road blocked traffic on

PCH, the sheriff's department said.

Caltrans controls Highway 1 in Malibu, and officials there have said the

55 mile per hour speed limit is the lowest it can go, due to a state law

aimed at preventing radar speed traps.

The law requires speed limits to be set near the ``85th percentile''

speed -- the maximum speed travelled by all but the 15 percent of the fastest

drivers. That speed is capped at 55 mph except on freeways or rural roads.

The crash was at one of several small beaches owned by the state and sandwiched between multi-million dollar estates west of Trancas. Along this stretch, the speed limit is 55 miles per hour with long straightaway's.

But on hot inland days, PCH traffic can be jammed with slow vehicles making parallel parking maneuvers, and people walking in traffic lanes or crossing them to reach the string of beaches.

Social media and internet guides to the "secret" beaches have prompted increased crowds this year, deputies said, on a stretch of highway with narrow shoulders, no walkways and fast traffic.

All lanes of PCH were closed at El Matador State Beach Saturday evening.

The California Department of Transportation controls Highway 1 in Malibu, and officials there have said the 55 mph speed limit is the lowest it can go, due to a state law aimed at preventing radar speed traps.

City News Service contributed to this report.