No charges are filed in two-car golf course crash

No criminal charges will be filed against either driver involved in a car crash Aug. 7 that left a Ford Mustang aflame upside down on the Newport Beach Golf Course, said Jen Hink, a California Highway Patrol spokeswoman.

State investigators were working to determine whether the crash was a road-rage incident. Efforts to reach the investigating officer, S.M. Moorhouse, for details on why no citations were issued were unsuccessful Friday.

When a Ford Taurus, driven by Charles Johnson of Irvine, and the Mustang, driven by Robert Helmer of Costa Mesa, collided going south on Bristol Street toward the Irvine Avenue/Campus Drive intersection, each driver initially argued the other was at fault.

The Taurus’ front passenger-side tire was popped after the collision and it suffered significant body damage along the entire right side, but Johnson escaped unscathed. The Mustang was essentially destroyed following its tumble through the golf course fence and subsequent fire. The Mustang’s passenger reportedly suffered severe head damage.

— Joseph Serna