IRVINE : Elderly Man Killed in Traffic Accident

A 77-year-old Costa Mesa man died Thursday in a major collision that tied up traffic for more than three hours on MacArthur Boulevard in Irvine, police said.

The victim, Marvin Arthur Tunstall, was driving south on MacArthur in the right lane about 12:57 p.m. when he attempted to make a U-turn about 500 feet south of Bison, Police Sgt. Ron Flathers said. As he turned across the path of traffic, his 1985 Ford Escort was struck broadside at the driver’s door by a 1984 Chevrolet Suburban driven by Joni Deatherage, 27, of El Toro, Flathers said. Deatherage braked but was unable to avoid the collision, he said.

Tunstall’s car was shoved across the northbound lanes of traffic and came to rest at the curb. He suffered head and chest injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Although Deatherage’s car drove through a chain-link fence and plunged to the bottom of a 30-foot embankment, both she and her 21-month-old son, strapped into a car seat, escaped major injury. They were taken to Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, treated and released.

Officials closed MacArthur to traffic until 4:30 p.m., causing congestion throughout the afternoon.