An early morning traffic accident claimed the life of a young man Wednesday.

The accident was reported at about 1:30 a.m. in the 3000 block of Imperial Avenue in El Centro. Arriving officers located a man on the dirt shoulder of the southbound lanes of Imperial Avenue. A second man was located inside a nearby drain. Both had serious injuries. One of the two, a 20-year-old man from Imperial, was pronounced dead at the scene. The other man was flown to a trauma center for treatment. According to the preliminary investigation, a black Dodge and a white Toyota were northbound on Imperial Avenue when they collided. The Dodge overturned and the occupants were ejected from the vehicle. The occupants of the Toyota were not injured. The cause of the accident and circumstances surrounding the collision remain under investigation.