Driver survives car crash

Newport Beach police were surprised a Costa Mesa driver survived a

crash late Monday night while driving near Back Bay.

Rescuers used the Jaws of Life to remove 61-year-old Gary Clark

from his 1991 BMW 750 iL sedan, Newport Beach Police Investigator

Gerry White said. Emergency crews spent about 30 minutes cutting all

four doors and the roof from the car.

The crash happened about 10:41 p.m. Monday near Irvine Avenue and

23rd Street, police said. White said Clark’s car swerved out of

control and wrapped itself around a light pole while Clark was

driving around a curve. High speed was a likely cause for the

accident, which is still under investigation. Police are still

waiting for the results of toxicology tests.

Clark had fractures to his left arm and shoulder, and he had

internal bleeding in his head, White said. He was airlifted to

Western Medical Center in Santa Ana. The hospital did not make

information on his condition available Tuesday evening.

The stretch of Irvine Avenue where the accident occurred has been

the site of several accidents, most notably in May 1997. That crash killed 18-year-old Donny Bridgman and seriously injured two other

teens, Amanda Arthur and Daniel Townsend. Arthur’s recovery drew

national media attention.

Six years later, in May 2003, a 47-year-old woman died along the

road’s S-shaped curve.