A busy Newport Beach intersection turned deadly Tuesday afternoon when a six-vehicle collision killed one man and choked off traffic for hours near Newport Center.
Officers were called to San Miguel Drive and MacArthur Boulevard at about 4 p.m. and arrived to find multiple vehicles with heavy damage. A male driver was rushed from the scene to a hospital, where he later died. His name is being withheld until relatives can be notified.
Police say a westbound Toyota Corolla slammed into several cars stopped at a red light, shoving an Audi Q5 into the intersection, where it then hit a Nissan that was turning eastbound, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. The man who later died was found in the black Toyota Corolla, which officers described as having significant damage. He was treated at the scene before being transported to the hospital. Another driver who reported pain was also taken to a hospital, while the remaining motorists were checked out and released at the scene.
Newport Beach Police traffic investigators launched an extensive on-site investigation that disrupted the surrounding area for several hours, according to MyNewsLA. Authorities are asking anyone who witnessed the crash or has dashcam footage to contact Traffic Investigator Nate Farris at [email protected] or (949) 644-3746. The cause of the collision remains under investigation.
City Plans Pavement Work On The Corridor
The City of Newport Beach has already tagged both MacArthur Boulevard and San Miguel Drive for pavement rehabilitation funded by a CalRecycle rubberized asphalt grant, which the city says is intended to boost durability and cut down on road noise, according to the City of Newport Beach. The planned work calls for grinding and overlaying deteriorated pavement with asphalt rubber hot mix. City officials have not connected those upcoming projects to Tuesday's collision.
Past Crashes Underscore Safety Concerns
The MacArthur–San Miguel stretch has been a trouble spot before. In 2019, a pedestrian was killed in a crash at the same intersection, as detailed by the Los Angeles Times. A federal crash analysis also outlines how multivehicle "chain-reaction" pileups can unfold when an initial striking vehicle pushes queued cars into adjacent traffic, and how investigators classify vehicles as either "striking" or "struck" in those scenarios, as the NHTSA shows. Members of NBPD's Major Accident Investigation Team are examining whether driver error, a mechanical issue, impairment, or some other factor played a role in this case.
Police say the investigation is still active and again urged anyone with information to contact Traffic Investigator Nate Farris at [email protected] or (949) 644-3746. No arrests have been announced, and investigators have not identified impairment as a factor at this time.
