Woman critically injured in collision

Marisa O’Neil

A 19-year-old Las Vegas woman was critically injured Tuesday

afternoon when she allegedly drove through a red light and was struck

by a pickup truck, police said.

The crash happened at 1:45 p.m. as the woman was driving east on

Fair Drive and the truck was going south on Newport Boulevard, Costa

Mesa Police Officer Scott Dibble said. Witnesses driving behind the

woman told police that her white Honda Prelude ran a red light before

being broadsided by a 2002 Chevrolet Silverado, Dibble said.

“The collision was so great that it pushed her car so it was

sandwiched between the truck and the light pole,” he said.

The woman, whose name has not been released, suffered a collapsed

lung and several broken bones, Dibble said. She was taken to Western

Medical Center in Santa Ana in critical condition and underwent

surgery Tuesday afternoon, he said.

The truck driver and his passenger -- his wife -- whose names have

not been released, complained of pain and were treated at the scene

but not hospitalized, he said.

Alcohol did not seem to be a factor in the crash, he said.

The collision closed Newport Boulevard south of Fair Drive for

about three hours.

It was the second serious accident in the city in two days.

On Monday, 47-year-old Newport Beach resident Steven Ford was

critically injured as he crossed a street at about 8:30 p.m., Costa

Mesa Police traffic investigator Carlos Diaz said. Ford was crossing

Irvine Avenue at Walnut Street when a Toyota Sequoia hit him, Diaz

said.

Ford was carrying a bottle of wine at the time and may have been

intoxicated, Diaz said. He was taken to Western Medical Center in

Santa Ana with critical head injuries, Diaz said.

That accident is still under investigation, police said

Costa Mesa has had 13 serious accidents this year, resulting in

nine deaths, Diaz said. Last year two people died in traffic

collisions in the city.

“It’s been an unfortunate year for accidents,” he said.

* MARISA O’NEIL covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4618 or by e-mail at [email protected].