Car Hits, Kills Bicyclist in Costa Mesa

A bicyclist riding near the Orange County Fairgrounds was killed early Saturday when a car careened out of control, rolled over and struck him, Costa Mesa police said.

The two occupants of the Ford Bronco were ejected when it overturned and were in intensive care units of local hospitals.

The accident occurred about 1:20 a.m. on the southbound side of Newport Boulevard, just north of Fair Drive, said Lt. Alan Kent. The 1987 Bronco was speeding when it struck a vehicle in another lane and went out of control, he said.

The Bronco careened across the lanes, hit the west curb and rolled over, striking the bicyclist, Lorin Scott Harhart, 25, of Costa Mesa. Investigators had yet to determine whether Harhart was on a bike trail separate from the road in a parkway next to the fairgrounds fence, or on the right side of the street when he was struck, Kent said.

Harhart was taken to the trauma center at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center, where he died, Kent said.

Jesus Rojas Mendoza, 39, of Santa Ana, who was in the Bronco, was in fair condition at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, authorities said. Kent said he suffered head, chest and leg injuries. The other man, Leonsio Abrego Zacarias, 26, of Santa Ana was in critical condition at the Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center.

The driver of the second car was not injured.

Police were still trying to determine which man was driving, Kent said.