(L.A.) David Sanchez Becerra, 18, Died in Palmdale

Case Number: 2025-07488

Los Angeles County is reporting the death of an 18-year-old Latino male that occurred on a street.

The coroner’s office identified the young man as David Sanchez Becerra of Lancaster.

Manner of Death: Accident

Cause of Death: Positional Asphyxia

Other Significant Condition: Effects of Multiple Substances

RIP DAVID SANCHEZ BECERRA (August 30, 2006 – May 5, 2025)

Formal pronouncement of death was made on Monday at 10:11 p.m.

California Highway Patrol said the decedent was a passenger in a 2004 Acura that crashed into a fence in east Palmdale. He was not wearing a seatbelt. The day was Cinco de Mayo.

Ruling by the deputy medical examiner was published on July 3, presumably after the results of tox screening had come back from the lab.

In most car accidents, death is caused by direct traumatic injuries -— such as head trauma, internal bleeding, or spinal cord injury. However, in this case, the passenger likely died because, after being thrown around the cabin during the crash, his body ended up in a position that physically prevented him from breathing. Unable to escape that position — due to injury, unconsciousness, or entrapment — he suffered positional asphyxia, rather than dying from direct trauma.

This rare outcome highlights the critical importance of seatbelt use, as it not only reduces traumatic injuries but also prevents dangerous post-crash positions that can lead to asphyxia.

The presence of drugs in the passenger’s system played a significant role in his inability to escape the asphyxiating position after the crash, ultimately contributing to his death from positional asphyxia rather than direct trauma.
 

GoFundMe: gofundme.com/f/give-david-sanchez-becerra-a-meaningful-goodbye