VAN NUYS (CBSLA.com) — A passenger was reportedly killed and the driver badly hurt Monday morning during a suspected DUI crash in Van Nuys.

At around 12:30 a.m. the driver of a gold sedan was speeding through a railway intersection with an S-turn when he lost control of the vehicle, said Detective Bill Bustos of the Los Angeles Police Department.

The driver reportedly drove into oncoming traffic and rammed into a light post so forcefully that part of the light was thrown 120 feet.

The accident occurred in the 17000 block of Roscoe Boulevard.

Firefighters had to extricate the driver from the wreckage. He was unconscious but still breathing.

The driver was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.

A female passenger was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers say they saw beer bottles in the car and suspect the driver may have been intoxicated.

“As part of our investigation, we noticed that there were some beer cans, full, inside of the vehicle. In fact, part of it came out when the driver was coming out of the vehicle. So, that is the focus of our investigation,” Bustos said.

Officials say they see a spike in alcohol-related accidents between Christmas and New Year’s Day. They advise anyone planning on drinking to arrange to have a designated driver or to use public transportation.