Driver’s Load of Cigarettes Blamed in Part for Crash
YORBA LINDA — A brimming carload of cigarettes blocked the view of a driver involved in a collision Tuesday night that critically injured the other driver, police said.
Police said the passenger and rear seats of Muhammad K. Minaie’s Mercedes Benz were piled high with cardboard boxes of cigarettes.
Minaie, 48, of Yorba Linda was driving north on Fairmont Boulevard about 8:30 p.m. when Kimberly Ann Smith, 19, pulled onto the street from Lorca Lane, said Brea traffic officer Dean Fleig, whose department patrols Yorba Linda. Minaie struck Smith broadside on the driver’s side of her vehicle. Minaie “could see out the front, but his view was blocked to the right,” Fleig said.
Smith, of Yorba Linda, suffered head injuries and was in critical condition at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana on Wednesday. A 14-year-old boy in her car was treated for injuries and released.
Minaie was cited for driving with an obstructed view. He was treated for minor injuries.
The cause of the collision was still under investigation Wednesday, but Fleig said the blocked view appeared to contribute.
Police said Minaie was taking the cigarettes to several stores that he owns.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
