Freeway car crash kills Newport Beach man

Lolita Harper

A Newport Beach senior citizen died on the Costa Mesa Freeway on

Monday night after being struck by a South County woman suspected of

drunken driving.

Leonard Kaplan, 72, died after the Jeep hit him near the 17th

Street exit on the Costa Mesa Freeway at about 11 p.m. Monday, said

Cullen Ellinburgh, supervising deputy at the county coroner’s office.

Autopsy reports are not complete, but all preliminary information

shows that accident-related injuries killed Kaplan, Ellinburgh said.

Officer Joann O’Hair, spokeswoman for the California Highway

Patrol in Santa Ana, said Kaplan had crashed his Daewoo into the

center divider of the freeway and got out of his car, which faced

south in the carpool lane. Kaplan probably stayed close to the

driver’s side area, where he was struck, she said.

Kaplan was allegedly hit by Shanna Kelley, a 23-year-old Mission

Viejo resident, who did not notice the stalled vehicle in time to

avoid it, O’Hair said. Kelley veered to the left and crashed into the

driver’s side door and Kaplan, O’Hair said.

The 72-year-old man was found crushed against the center divider,

she said.

Officers said Kelley exited the freeway at Fourth Street in Tustin

and called the authorities. She was not injured, but was arrested on

suspicion of drunken driving and felony manslaughter, O’Hair said.

She is being held in Central Jail in Santa Ana.

O’Hair said officers could not determine what caused Kaplan to

initially crash into the center divider. Tire marks showed he made a

sharp turn into the median, but there was no evidence of debris on

the road, O’Hair said.

“We don’t know if he got cut off or if he woke up suddenly; we

just don’t know,” O’Hair said.