Accident

Three cars were involved in a collision on Laguna Canyon Road near Laguna Coast Wilderness Park on Thursday morning, according to Sgt. Louise Callus Traffic is expected to be delayed for about 30 minutes. There are no major injuries, just complaints of some pain from passengers involved, Callus said. --Staff reports

A 49-year-old Seal Beach woman was killed in a solo high-speed traffic accident Tuesday night in South Laguna. Her identity is not being released pending notification of her family, said Laguna Beach Police Sgt. Robert Rahaeuser. No one else was injured. At 9:47 p.m., emergency personnel responded to a report of an accident at Coast Highway near Camel Point, Rahaeuser said. The driver of a silver Buick Lucerne had reportedly been traveling southbound at an apparent high rate of speed, then swerved across the two northbound lanes and struck an unoccupied blue Ford van parked on the opposite side of the roadway.

My wife and I were on our way to see the doctor, when speedboarders were on our hill at Crestview Drive again. They usually visit our hill, between a dozen or so, their groups getting more and more numerous in recent weeks. Yesterday we witnessed another accident between a speedboarder and a sidewalk. I'm a former skateboarder, having skated with Steve Caballero in the 1980s in Eagle Rock. I'm in my 40s and my wife is in her 30s. In my opinion, speedboarding on narrow Laguna Beach streets is inherently dangerous.

An accident today at 3:46 p.m. in the 700 block of Laguna Canyon Road has resulted in a Sig-Alert in which all lanes of the highway were ordered closed for half an hour, Laguna Beach Police Sgt. Jason Kravetz said. “At 3:46 pm, we began receiving 911 calls reporting an injury traffic accident in the 700 block of Laguna Canyon Road, in-bound lanes,” Kravetz said. “It appears that a vehicle hit a bicyclist. We have called for two ambulances. There are at least ten different police staff out at the crash and four fire engines.

A Riverside man was arrested Saturday after a traffic accident, when police discovered he was reportedly under the influence and in possession of a stolen vehicle. Arthur Andrew Felix, 39, was arrested around 2:30 a.m. on suspicion of DUI and the unlawful taking of a vehicle. Reports came in of an accident at 5th Avenue and Coast Highway, where a Volkswagen Golf had crashed into a parked vehicle, Sgt. John Falk said. Police arrived at the scene and learned Felix allegedly took the vehicle from his place of employment, San Clemente Auto Body.

Lauren Vane Anyone driving by City Hall Saturday afternoon might have thought they had come across a bad traffic accident. Two badly damaged cars with shattered windshields rested bumper-to-bumper as a team of firefighters worked to free victims from inside the cars. Paramedics stood by, ready to transport the victims to the hospital as the firefighters removed the roof of one car using the Jaws of Life. Fortunately, onlookers were not witnessing a real accident.

Motorcycle accident makes 3 in 2 weeks A Garden Grove man was injured in the third traffic accident involving a motorcycle in a two-week period. Roy Harris Jr., 41, suffered a severe leg injury after a collision on Jan. 23 on Laguna Canyon Road at the Ganahl Lumber driveway. Harris' injuries did not "look like they're going to be life threatening," Sgt. George Ramos said. The other driver involved in the crash was 50-year-old Irvine resident Janice Kain.

Hundreds turned out Thursday to pay their last respects to Max Caputo, the 17-year-old who was killed in a hit-and-run accident early Aug. 19. Police are still seeking the identity of the driver who struck Caputo on his bicycle at S. Coast Highway and Upland Road. Officers responded to the site of the accident that Saturday morning at 4:15 a.m. after receiving a report of an injury involving a traffic collision. Caputo was pronounced dead at the scene by Laguna Beach paramedics.

I was almost to my San Diego destination on that day in January. A glorious day. Warm and sunny. Clear. I felt lucky to be there under the baby blue sky and was looking forward to spending time with my friend Kathi. As I watched for the exit ramp I needed to take, the car in front of me moved to the next lane. Time did something funny, slowing and speeding at once. There, about six car lengths ahead of me, traffic was stopped. I slammed on the brakes, bracing both arms on the steering wheel, backpack and clipboard flew off the seat next to me...

The push is on for a stoplight in front of Laguna College of Art + Design. The college's president and a nearby building owner petitioned Caltrans to install a traffic signal where the current crosswalk - which only has flashing lights - sits in front of the main campus at 2222 Laguna Canyon Road. "I've witnessed a number of fender benders," LCAD President Jonathan Burke said. "No one has been hurt, but there have been damaged cars. " Burke is working with a consultant in hopes of getting a traffic light installed at the two-lane road.

Two Orange County men riding in a stolen car allegedly hit parked cars and a street pole at Pearl Street and South Coast Highway Sunday afternoon. Laguna Beach Police responded to the scene at 1:55 p.m. Eddie Reyes Martinez, 19, from Mission Viejo, and Jonathan Jesus Cordova, 18, from Laguna Woods ran from the scene, Laguna Beach Police Sgt. Louise Callus wrote in an email. Citizens in the area of Bluebird Beach and Coast Highway detained the men until officers arrived. Both men were injured and taken to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, police said.

A Riverside man was arrested Saturday after a traffic accident, when police discovered he was reportedly under the influence and in possession of a stolen vehicle. Arthur Andrew Felix, 39, was arrested around 2:30 a.m. on suspicion of DUI and the unlawful taking of a vehicle. Reports came in of an accident at 5th Avenue and Coast Highway, where a Volkswagen Golf had crashed into a parked vehicle, Sgt. John Falk said. Police arrived at the scene and learned Felix allegedly took the vehicle from his place of employment, San Clemente Auto Body.

Three cars were involved in a collision on Laguna Canyon Road near Laguna Coast Wilderness Park on Thursday morning, according to Sgt. Louise Callus Traffic is expected to be delayed for about 30 minutes. There are no major injuries, just complaints of some pain from passengers involved, Callus said. --Staff reports

A Laguna Beach man who was killed in a biking accident Saturday in Malibu has been identified. Robert Eugene Hyndman, 51, lost control of his bike while on a curve of Las Flores Canyon Road, about 1 mile north Hume Road, according to the California Highway Patrol. He was thrown head-first over his bicycle's handlebars and suffered head injuries. He was wearing a helmet, authorities said, but the helmet cracked upon impact. The road has many sharp curves and is challenging for even experienced riders, according to the CHP. At the time of the accident, Hyndman was riding with a group, which included his brother.

A Laguna Beach Police Department employee has sued the city, claiming a poorly maintained road is the reason she crashed her electric bicycle and suffered bodily injuries. In an April 4 civil complaint filed in Orange County Superior Court, Robin Ellen Levinson, a community services officer, says she was riding on Eagle Rock Way in South Laguna at 11:45 a.m. Feb. 15, 2010, when she struck a deformity in the road, which caused her to lose control and be ejected from her bike. The city of Laguna Beach filed a denial with the court July 8. Levinson, who was not working at the time, suffered a broken hip, shoulder fracture, abrasions and bruises, according to a report by the California Highway Patrol.

My wife and I were on our way to see the doctor, when speedboarders were on our hill at Crestview Drive again. They usually visit our hill, between a dozen or so, their groups getting more and more numerous in recent weeks. Yesterday we witnessed another accident between a speedboarder and a sidewalk. I'm a former skateboarder, having skated with Steve Caballero in the 1980s in Eagle Rock. I'm in my 40s and my wife is in her 30s. In my opinion, speedboarding on narrow Laguna Beach streets is inherently dangerous.

Traffic already moves too fast on Laguna Canyon Road, say city officials don't want to see it increased, particularly closer to town. The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to oppose three increases in speed limits proposed by Calrans for Broadway and stretches of the winding, heavily traveled road through the canyon, where speeding already occurs, city officials said. "I don't think we should encourage it," Councilman Kelly Boyd said. "There have been 40 accidents on the past three years between Canyon Acres and Forest Avenue, that police think are related to speed.

Witnessing the events in Laguna Beach that unfolded on the morning of Jan. 12 at South Coast Highway and St. Ann?s Drive would have a profound effect on me and my son. In a fraction of a second, my perceptions of life would be altered, when the black Mitsubishi passed by my son and me within 30 feet at a rate of speed so great you could feel the air pressure change around you. The dirt and debris kicked into the air, and the car passing appeared...

Look closely and you can still see the two scars on Katie Averill’s forehead. The Laguna Beach resident is more used to talking about her cooking. The former owner of Mirabeau Bistro in Dana Point, she is now a corporate pastry chef for Balboa Dessert Co. Yet that day nearly 20 years ago, when she fell off a 50-foot cliff in Toledo, Spain, shapes her as well. “The locals said the best view of the city was to go up this path,” Averill said. “It got really gravelly and 50 feet up, like a cartoon, I just went off the side.