Severe traffic collision may be alcohol-related

Marisa O’Neil and Lolita Harper

Two Costa Mesa men were injured, one seriously, when their SUV struck

another vehicle in an intersection and rolled over Friday.

The driver of the Chevrolet Tahoe is being investigated for

driving under the influence of alcohol, but has not been arrested,

police said. It appeared he ran a red light while driving westbound

on Paularino Avenue at about 6:15 p.m. when his vehicle hit the front

end of a BMW 7-series sedan in the intersection of Jian Way, Sgt.

Rich Allum said.

The SUV then skidded and rolled onto the sidewalk in front of the

Costa Mesa Hilton hotel causing the passenger in the back seat to be

ejected from and then pinned under the vehicle, Costa Mesa Police

Cpl. Matt Grimmond said. He suffered serious injuries, including a

“smashed skull” and was transported to Western Medical Center in

Santa Ana.

“One [injury] was a very serious trauma,” Costa Mesa Fire

Battalion Chief Chris Riley said. “His head was pinned under the

vehicle. We had a hard time getting him out.”

Names were not released by press time Friday night, but according

to police, they were Costa Mesa residents in their early 20s.

The driver of the BMW was not injured and refused treatment at the

scene, Riley said. The driver of the Chevy Tahoe complained of only

minor injuries and, as a precaution, was transferred to Western

Medical Center, Riley said.

A front-seat passenger in the Tahoe was able to walk away from the

accident, Allum said.

The people in the SUV were said to be coming back from a trip to

the mountains, police said. At the scene, snowboard boots lay in the

street and snowboarding equipment was still inside the vehicle.

Beer caps, an algebra textbook and a notebook from Orange Coast

College laid near the overturned vehicle.

“People fly through here all the time,” nearby resident Terry

Thompson said as he surveyed the scene. “There’s all these little

streets here that come up all of a sudden and people don’t think

about it.”

Another local resident, who wouldn’t give her name, said it was

the third accident she had seen at the same intersection.

* MARISA O’NEIL covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4268 or by e-mail at marisa.oneil@latimes.com.

LOLITA HARPER is the community forum editor. She also writes

columns Wednesdays and Fridays. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275

or by e-mail at lolita.harper@latimes.com.