Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Category Archives: Accidents

A suspected drunk driver crashed into an SAPD squad car during a police pursuit

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A suspected drunk driver crashed into an SAPD police officers squad car on Saturday night, March 20, as the officer pursued a third vehicle.

The officer was not injured, according to the O.C. Register.

The incident began at 9:45 p.m. when SAPD police officers tried to pull over a driver who was suspected of street racing at the 3000 block of South Fairview St.

The suspected driver failed to pull over and a police pursuit began. The driver ended up abandoning his vehicle at the 300 block of South Halladay Street. He was arrested after a foot chase.

The officer who ended up in the collision with the suspected drunk driver had responded to the pursuit when the collision took place at West Parton and South Highland Streets.

The suspected drunk driver was arrested on the suspicion of driving under the influence. A passenger was in the vehicle. That passenger had a minor injury but declined medical attention.

A pick-up truck hit a bicyclist in the French Park neighborhood today

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O.C.F.A. Firefighters responded to N. French St. & E. Civic Center Dr., in Santa Ana, in the French Park Neighborhood, this morning for an auto vs pedestrian incident, according to the OCFA.

Firefighters utilized airbags to lift the vehicle off the pedestrian who was on a bicycle and were able to extricate him rapidly.

OCFA paramedics provided treatment & transported the patient to the hospital.

The cause of the incident is being investigated by the Santa Ana Police Department.

With everything going on, please focus on your surroundings if you’re on the road.

A serious car accident occurred near Saddleback High School early this morning

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OCFA units responded to a traffic collision on Segerstrom near Flower in Santa Ana shortly after midnight, near Saddleback High School.

Firefighters used auto extrication tools to free the passengers, according to the OCFA.

Firefighter paramedics tended to 4 people. One was transported to the hospital w/moderate injuries.

A suspect crashed into a truck this morning during an SAPD police pursuit

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On Thursday, January 16th, 2020 at approximately 12:59 AM, Santa Ana Police Officers attempted to stop a truck driving at a high rate of speed in the area of Fairview Street and McFadden Ave. The driver of the truck failed to yield to Officers and a pursuit was initiated.

The truck continued west on McFadden traveling in the opposing lanes of traffic of McFadden Ave. As the truck was entering the intersection of McFadden Ave and Harbor Blvd on a red light, a bobtail truck was traveling north on Harbor Blvd. The bobtail truck collided into the vehicle being pursued.

Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) personnel responded and briefly treated the male (suspect) before he was transported by CARE Ambulance to the UCI Medical Center. The male sustained serious injuries and is in critical condition at UCI Medical Center. The driver of the bobtail truck did not suffer any injuries as a result of the crash. The truck was later determined to be stolen out of the City of Huntington Beach.

The California Highway Patrol was called and is handling the collision investigation. The Santa Ana Police Department’s Collision Investigation Unit (CIU) is assisting in the investigation. Anyone possibly having information about this collision is asked to contact Corporal Daniel Carrillo at (714) 245-8346.

Santa Ana man accepts charges after killing two in a DUI crash in 2017

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Vincent de la Vega, 31, a Santa Ana man, was charged with murder in connection with a crash that killed two people on the southbound Orange (57) Freeway in Diamond Bar, according to the O.C. Register.

De la Vega pleaded no contest Monday to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. He is due back in court on Tuesday, when victims’ impact statements are scheduled to be delivered, according to the Daily Pilot.

De la Vega’s crash victims included Eduardo Goncalves-Lins, 28, of Costa Mesa, and his passenger, Paula Queiroz-Lopes, 24, of Diamond Bar. They were killed in the crash, on Oct. 28, 2017, shortly before 3 a.m.

Goncalves-Lins was involved in a previous accident that morning as he was driving a 2014 Toyota Corolla south on the 57. He veered to the right and crashed into the back of a tow truck that was parked on the right shoulder just south of Diamond Bar Boulevard, according to the CHP. About a minute later, de la Vega’s Toyota Tacoma struck the Corolla, and both Goncalves-Lins and Queiroz-Lopes were thrown onto the freeway, according to the CHP.

A motorcyclist died after crashing into a pole in Santa Ana on Sunday morning

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Many of our Facebook readers were wondering what happened today, Sunday, Jan. 12, after the SAPD closed streets at First and Grand. It turns out there was a fatal motorcycle accident, according to the O.C. Register.

Authorities received a call from a witness this morning, at about 11 a.m., after a man driving a motorcycle lost control and crashed into a pole, at the 1000 block of East First St., between Standard and Grand Avenues.

The SAPD police officers who responded found the sole rider of the motorcycle to be unresponsive.

The victim was taken to OC Global Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead, according to the SAPD. They did not reveal his identity and the crash is still under investigation.

Santa Ana train accident victim identified as Juan Jose Espinoza Padilla

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On Monday, January 6, 2020 at approximately 5:30 p.m., the Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) began receiving several calls of a train versus vehicle collision at the railroad crossing on Grand Avenue just north of Hunter Avenue.

Just after the collision occurred, an SAPD Officer headed south on Grand Avenue came across the collision scene and requested Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) personnel. OCFA personnel responded to the scene and ultimately pronounced the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, Juan Jose Espinoza Padilla (61) Santa Ana, deceased.

A large dog was found injured inside the occupant compartment of the vehicle and was transported to a nearby veterinarian for treatment.

The initial investigation has revealed the Metrolink train, occupied by 3 employees and 219 passengers, was headed to the Santa Ana train station from Irvine. The two sets of train tracks intersect Grand Avenue in a northwesterly to southeasterly direction. As the train was headed in a northwesterly direction it collided with a white Toyota sedan that was headed north on Grand Avenue in stop and go traffic. The vehicle was broadsided on its passenger side and pushed over 600’ down the tracks before the train came to a stop.

The Santa Ana Police Department’s Collision Investigations Unit (CIU) responded to the scene and handled the investigation. Anyone possibly having information about this collision are asked to contact Corporal Danny Carrillo at (714) 245-8346.

One killed in a train vs. car crash in Santa Ana this evening

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A train crashed into a vehicle this evening at around 5:30 p.m. at the 600 block of Grand Avenue near Hunter Avenue, according to the OCFA.

A single vehicle was involved in the crash with one occupant deceased. No injuries occurred on the train. The tracks were shut down.

SAPD police officers have been working the scene of the crash, according to the SAPD’s Twitter page. All lanes of Grand are closed in both directions, as is Chestnut on the north and McFadden on the south. Please avoid the area.

An off-duty SAPD crashed in an undercover vehicle in Anaheim

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An off-duty Santa Ana police officer in an undercover vehicle was involved in a three-vehicle traffic crash Saturday in Anaheim, according to NBC News.

The crash happened very early in the morning, just before 3:30 a.m., at Beach Blvd. and Ball Road, near Glee Donuts & Burgers.

It is not known yet if the off-duty SAPD police officer was injured. Two people were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries, according to the Anaheim police.

The Anaheim Police reported that DUI was not suspected in the car crash.

The incident remains under investigation.

A car slammed into a child’s bedroom wall at a Santa Ana home last night

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A speeding driver slammed his car into a six-year-old’s bedroom wall in Santa Ana late Thursday night, according to Fox News.

The crash happened at around 10 p.m. at the 2600 block of West St. Gertrude Place, located near the intersection of Fairview Street and Warner Avenue.

Apparently the vehicle, a Volvo, hopped over a sidewalk, over the home’s landscaping and into the wall of a child’s bedroom that was pushed in about three feet, according o the OCFA.

To make matters worse the child was in the room at the time of the crash! Fortunately no one was injured in the crash.

SAPD investigators believe that the driver may have suffered a medical emergency. The driver showed remorse after the crash. The driver was taken to a hospital for evaluation.

The front end of the home suffered major damage. However, OCFA officials determined that the structure of the home was not compromised, which allowed the family to remain at their home overnight.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

An SAPD police cruiser crashed into an SAPD motorcycle this evening

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On Sunday, November 17, 2019, at approximately 8:28 pm a Santa Ana Police Motor Officer and Patrol Sergeant were attempting to initiate a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed westbound on McFadden Avenue from Graham Lane.

As the police motor and vehicle proceeded after the traffic violator, they collided on McFadden just east of Pacific Avenue. The motor officer and sergeant were both injured and transported to local hospitals for treatment. The cause of this collision is under investigation.

The Santa Ana Police Department’s Collision Investigations Unit (CIU) responded to the scene and handled the investigation.

Anyone possibly having information about this collision is asked to contact Corporal Brett Nelson at (714) 245-8208

Suspects in a stolen car were arrested by the SAPD after a car crash

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We reported a hit and run crash very early yesterday morning, at Flower Street and Warner, after getting a tip from a reader, who also sent us a picture of the scene.

Now we know what happened! Two people were injured after a stolen SUV filled with suspects crashed into another vehicle, late on Monday night, according to the City News Service.

A Chevrolet Suburban stolen in the City of Covina, and occupied by four suspects, crashed into another vehicle at around 11:05 PM.

While the suspects ran off as police officers responded to the scene, they were quickly caught and arrested.

The drivers of both vehicles were taken to local hospitals with injuries describes as non-life threatening.

An unfortunate utility pole was also damaged in the crash, which led to area roads being closed for several hours.

The SAPD is still investigating this incident. No details were released regarding the suspects.

Two car accidents in Santa Ana early this morning and one involved an SAPD police car

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An SAPD police officer crashed his patrol car into another vehicle at about 2 a.m. this morning, at S. Main and W. Camille Streets., according to the O.C. Register.

The police officer was on the way to a pursuit when the accident occurred. His patrol vehicle struck the motorist’s vehicle and a light pole.

Both the police officer and the other motorist were injured and both were conveyed to local hospitals.

Another car accident occurred at approx 3:30 a.m. at the 2200 block of South Shelton, near Memorial Park. In that incident a vehicle struck a cement wall after a car accident.

Responding firefighters used the “jaws of life” to cut out three patients trapped in the car . Three adult males were transported to a local hospital.

The SAPD is investigating, according to the OCFA’s Twitter account.

A bicyclist was killed in an early morning hit and run crash today near Heritage Park

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On Monday, November 4th, 2019 at approximately 3:00 am, the Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) received several calls of a male down in the roadway who was possibly on a bicycle near the intersection of Newhope and Camille Streets.

Officers responded to the area and found a male down in the roadway with major trauma. Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) personnel responded and began to treat the male before pronouncing him deceased at the scene.

Danny Martinez, from his Facebook Page

The preliminary investigation has revealed the male, who was either walking alongside or riding a bicycle, was in the roadway when he was struck by a vehicle headed south on Newhope. The vehicle involved in this collision fled from the scene prior to the officers’ arrival. The vehicle remains outstanding and it, along with the driver, remain unidentified. Alcohol is believed to have played a role in this collision. The collision remains under investigation.

(Editor’s Note – The victim was identified as Danny Martinez by one of our readers. He was a Santa Ana resident according to his Facebook page.)

The Santa Ana Police Department’s Collision Investigation Unit (CIU) is handling the investigation. Anyone possibly having information about this collision is asked to contact Corporal Brett Nelson at (714) 245-8208 or the Collision Investigation Unit at (714) 245-8200.

The SAPD is trying to find a car involved in a hit and run with a bicyclist

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On October 13th, 2019 at 5:19 am, the victim (bicyclist) was struck by a vehicle near the intersection of Warner Avenue and Main Street. The vehicle briefly stopped then proceeded west on Warner.

The victim sustained major head trauma and is in grave condition. A witness described the possible involved vehicle as a 1995-1996 Honda Civic, 4-door, dark blue, unknown plate and the driver as a Male Hispanic. The vehicle should have moderate to major front-end damage to include broken headlight lenses and possibly a shattered windshield.

Location: ‪100 E. Warner Avenue, Santa Ana, CA‬

‪Vehicle: ‬1995-1996 Honda Civic, 4-door, dark blue, unknown plate and the driver as a Male Hispanic

The Santa Ana Police Department requests your assistance in locating/identifying the vehicle similar to the one depicted in the photo above. Any with information, please contact Corporal ‪Brett Nelson‬ at ‪714-245-8208‬ or the Watch Commander at ‪714-245-8700‬.