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.