Wrong-way crash kills two

Paul Clinton

Two people’s lives ended Friday evening in a vicious head-on collision

on the northbound side of the San Joaquin Hills toll road.

A man driving the wrong direction on the toll road caused the 6:18

p.m. crash, authorities said. It left the road strewn with tires, bumpers

and the ripped-apart hulks of the three cars involved.

The toll road from the Laguna Canyon Road to the Newport Coast Drive

offramp was closed for several hours, authorities said. It runs along the

border of Newport Beach and Irvine.

The identities of the victims were not immediately known. Two other

people involved in the three-car wreck were injured.

The tragic crash occurred shortly after sundown, during rush-hour

traffic. Traffic typically is not heavy at that time and on that stretch

of highway where the crash occurred, authorities said.

Heading up the road’s steep incline, a man driving a black Ford Ranger

smashed into a Jaguar heading downhill and carrying two people. Both

drivers were killed upon impact.

The accident occurred just north of the toll road’s peak, where it can

be hard to see the road ahead.

The Ranger then spun into a silver Toyota Tacoma, causing it to flip

on its side. A woman driving the Tacoma walked away from the wreck with

only minor injuries and was taken to Hoag Hospital, said California

Highway Patrol Officer Kari Keul.

The Ranger, which was cut into two pieces, came to rest behind the

Tacoma. It was not immediately known how fast any of the vehicles were

traveling.

A male passenger of the Jaguar was seriously injured. He was airlifted

by helicopter to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana in critical

condition.

In the hours following the accident, investigators worked methodically

in the dark to piece together details. Bits of shattered glass, crunched

auto parts and the personal effects of the people involved littered the

lanes.

Yellow tarps were draped over the two bodies.

“There’s so much stuff laying around, it’s going to be difficult to

tell [what happened],” Keul said.

Highway patrol officers closed the section of freeway using flares and

cars. Other traffic heading northbound toward the crash was diverted to

Laguna Canyon Road.

* Paul Clinton covers the environment, John Wayne Airport and

politics. He may be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail ato7

paul.clinton@latimes.comf7 .