A fatal vehicle collision shut down a stretch of Harvard Avenue in Irvine for several hours overnight, with officers responding near Columbus Grove just before midnight Thursday to find a crash that would keep the corridor closed well into the early morning. The road between Irvine Center Drive and Columbus Grove remained blocked off as investigators worked the scene.
According to an Irvine Police Department statement reported by MyNewsLA.com, officers responded to the fatal traffic collision at 11:20 p.m. Thursday on Harvard Avenue between Irvine Center Drive and Columbus Grove. The street was closed for several hours during the investigation, and police said no further information was immediately available on the collision.
The closure affected the area around Columbus Grove. Some Columbus Grove neighborhoods are in Irvine, while other parts of the Columbus Grove real-estate area are north of Warner Avenue in Tustin, according to the Columbus Grove homes page.
A Different Harvard Avenue Segment Flagged for Safety Concerns
This is not the first time Harvard Avenue has drawn scrutiny for traffic danger. The City of Irvine's Local Roadway Safety Plan previously identified the segment between Walnut Avenue and Irvine Center Drive—not the segment near Columbus Grove—as one of five top traffic collision hot spots in the municipality, per a report from Call Jacob.
A planning document lists a project titled Harvard Avenue and Michelson Drive.
Investigators Likely to Take Weeks
As with other fatal crashes in the city, the case will likely fall to a specialized unit. In Irvine, fatal vehicle collisions are investigated by the Irvine Police Department's Major Accident Investigation Team, known as MAIT, a unit within the department's Traffic Bureau. Findings from that kind of investigation, including potential criminal charges, typically take weeks or months to be finalized and announced publicly.
Under California Vehicle Code Section 20008, a driver must make a written report within 24 hours. The statute also directs a police department to forward to the California Highway Patrol, on or before the fifth day of each month, reports it received during the prior month, per Justia Law. Those records feed into the statewide system used to track traffic safety trends across California.
A History of Deadly Crashes on the Same Street
Harvard Avenue has seen severe, multi-fatality wrecks before. In July 2017, a driver ran a red light at 86 mph at Harvard Avenue and Michelson Drive, killing three people in the victims' car: two died at the scene and a third died four days later, according to the Los Angeles Times. Prosecutors charged Jeremy Greenwood with three counts of murder and other charges related to driving under the influence.
The pattern has continued into this year. Just over a month before Thursday's crash, a single-vehicle collision on September 13 at Culver Drive and Deerfield Avenue left two people dead after a sports car hit a tree and caught fire, a case Hoodline previously covered. Police noted high speed as a major factor in that earlier incident.
Citywide rankings underscore the stakes, according to Call Jacob. Speeding and distracted driving remain primary factors cited in Irvine collision reports.
No details on the vehicles involved, the number of people hurt, or a possible cause have been released. Irvine police have not identified the victim or victims, and it remains unclear whether speed, impairment, or another factor contributed to Thursday night's crash.
