1 Killed, 5 Injured in Collision on Irvine Boulevard

IRVINE —  A car traveling at an estimated 50 m.p.h. early Monday swerved over the center line on Irvine Boulevard and rammed an oncoming car head-on, killing one person and seriously injuring five others.

The California Highway Patrol identified the dead man as James Howard, 26, who was a passenger in a 1985 BMW 318i that officers said caused the collision. He had not been wearing a seat belt, according to the CHP.

The driver of the car, identified as Allen O. Williams, 27, of Santa Ana, suffered major head injuries, officers said. He was wearing a seat belt, they said.

Officers said the collision occurred about 1:30 a.m. on Irvine Boulevard just east of Grenada Way near the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.

The driver of the second car, a 1983 Volvo station wagon, was wearing a seat belt and suffered only minor injuries, according to the CHP. He was identified as Minh Q. Nguyen, 19, of El Toro.

His three passengers suffered major head and spinal injuries, officers said. They were identified as Canh Nguyen, 26, Nguyen Nguyen, 21, and Sau Tran, 42, all of El Toro. None of them were wearing seat belts, authorities said.

The injured were taken to Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo and UCI Medical Center in Orange.