Collision launches SUV into home

Lolita Harper

The screeching of tires, the clash of metal and a series of

explosions woke Irvine Avenue residents early Saturday morning, as a

sports utility vehicle veered out of control, crashed into a home and

burst into flames -- miraculously avoiding injury everyone involved.

“Imagine a four-ton missile crashing through support beams in the

garage, traveling at about 30 to 35 miles per hour, and that is what

you have here,” said Newport Beach Police Sgt. Steve Shulman. “It is

fortunate that, despite the damage, nobody was hurt.”

A 43-year-old woman, who lives on the corner of Baycrest Road and

Irvine Avenue -- on the Newport Beach side of the popular

thoroughfare -- was backing out of her garage, onto the northbound

portion of Irvine Avenue at about 7:30 a.m., police said. She went to

make a U-turn at Baycrest -- to head south on Irvine Boulevard --

when a green Dodge Ram pickup driven by a 43-year-old Newport Beach

man hit her Chevrolet Suburban, police said.

The gray Suburban accelerated and crashed into the garage of David

Weisman, who lives on the Costa Mesa side of the street.

“We were in bed sleeping and we heard this big bang,” Weisman

said. “We knew it was some kind of accident but had no idea it was in

our front yard.”

Neighbors frantically knocked on his front door and rang the

doorbell to warn him, his wife and infant son to get out. The truck

had smashed through the garage door, through Weisman’s new

Mercedes-Benz SL sports sedan and through the wall, finally lodging

itself under the weight of the tile roof. The accelerator was jammed

and the vehicle continued to run at full steam, officials said.

“The accelerator was stuck and the wheels were still spinning, “

Shulman said.

The driver of the Suburban managed to climb out the passenger door

before the heat from the engine sparked a flame and ignited the gas

in the tank of the Mercedes, which stilled had its paper tags on the

windows.

Several explosions followed and flames fully engulfed the garage

and the surrounding trees. Weisman said he and his family climbed

over a neighbor’s wall to escape.

George Margolin was asleep next door -- no more than 15 feet from

the crash site -- when he heard a loud “thunk,” followed by the

continuous “whomp, whomp, whomp” of the running engine. He rushed to

his backyard, where he found a raging fire threatening his home.

“It was a pretty interesting wake up call,” Margolin said.

The former photojournalist grabbed his camera to capture the drama

and then reached for a water hose to protect his house.

“I thought our house was going to burn,” he said.

Newport Beach and Costa Mesa fire companies responded and

immediately checked for anyone who may have been trapped in the home,

Costa Mesa Battalion Chief Chris Riley said. Finding none, a total of

23 firefighters, including six fire companies and a battalion chief,

worked to isolate the blaze and extinguish the flames.

“The crews did an outstanding job,” Riley said. “The tree went up

and we had to prevent it from extending from the scene of origin --

and we did.”

Riley estimated a total loss of more than $250,000 for all three

vehicles: a Hummer H2 and Mercedes parked in the garage and the 2004

Suburban.

Shulman said the accident is still under investigation, as there

are conflicting reports on what lane the Suburban was in when it was

hit and how the four-ton truck ended up shooting across the four-lane

street.

“We are not sure exactly how the accelerator got pushed under,”

Shulman said. “It is still under investigation.”

A crowd gathered on Irvine Avenue, which was closed for four

hours, on both sides, from Santiago Road to 20th Street. Neighbors

with cameras, joggers, bike riders and water polo players on their

way home from practice lined the perimeter of the scene asking

questions and conveying disbelief.

Kathy Margolin brought out a tray of coffee and offered it to her

neighbors. Mark Berrett, who lived a few blocks away, brought his

boys, Beau and Tanner, to the scene to watch the firefighters in

action.

“It is really amazing that nobody was hurt,” Berrett said.

The crowds remained for hours, as tow trucks came to pull the

scorched vehicles from the garage. Workers pulled out the Hummer

first. Its frame was relatively intact but the tires were melted and

the exterior was burnt from bumper to bumper. It was only a few

months old, Weisman said. It was hauled to the side of the road,

where onlookers posed in front of it for photos.

Next was the sporty German coupe, which emerged from the wreckage

without a rear end. It was badly charred, yet the chrome on front

passenger wheel still glistened in the sunlight -- a terse

illustration of the once glitzy automobile. The Mercedes sat on an

additional tow truck, adding to the caravan of damaged cars.

“That was a brand new SL,” Weisman said. “I just bought it three

weeks ago.”

The Suburban caused the most difficulties, as the weight of the

tile roof that rested on top of it proved too heavy. After three

tries by three different tow trucks, a larger truck came in to finish

the job.

“We have yet to see how much of the building is going to go once

the Suburban is pulled out,” Riley said.

The Suburban inched from beneath the wreckage, weakening the

structure of the garage with every move. The roof slowly sunk down as

support beams collapsed and individual tiles gradually fell from the

sloping rooftop.

Weisman, his family and the driver exchanged hugs on the street

and comforted each other, while safety personnel cleaned up the mess.

“This is just unbelievable,” Weisman said.

Luckily, for all involved, the damage fire was confined to the

garage and its contents, with no major injuries to any people,

officials said.

“As tragic as this is, it really could have been a lot worse,”

Riley said.

* LOLITA HARPER writes columns Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

She may be reached at (949) 574-4275 or by e-mail at

[email protected].