Newport men killed in separate traffic accidents
Greg Risling
Unrelated traffic accidents this weekend claimed the lives of two Newport
Beach men.
The first incident occurred Saturday night when 55-year-old William
Richard Miller of Newport Beach was killed after he lost control of his
minivan on the Corona del Mar Freeway.
The accident occurred shortly before 9:30 p.m. near the Bristol Street
overpass, police said. Miller reportedly lost control of the vehicle,
spinning out of control and striking a concrete support column. Miller
was alone in the van and no other vehicles were involved.
An emergency crew managed to remove Miller from the badly damaged van,
but they were unable to resuscitate him. Miller suffered major injuries
to his head and chest. Authorities couldn’t confirm whether he was
wearing a seat belt.
The Orange County Coroner’s Department will conduct toxicology tests to
determine whether Miller was driving under the influence at the time of
his death.
The second accident occurred at about 1 a.m. Sunday in Irvine, where
36-year-old Carlo Salucci of Corona del Mar was killed in a horrific
crash on Alton Parkway.
Authorities said 34-year-old Gina Simone was driving her 1995 Honda
Prelude westbound on Alton Parkway at about 75 mph and apparently lost
control. The ensuing crash ripped the car into two pieces, leaving the
front end sitting about 40 feet away from the rear.
Salucci, who was a passenger in the car, died of injuries he sustained
when the vehicle slammed into a lamppost and fire hydrant. Simone was
transported to Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo,
where she was treated for major injuries.
Salucci was the manager of Gina’s Pizza in Corona del Mar.
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