Coroner identifies man killed in crash on the 73 Freeway in Newport Beach
A man who died after his pickup crashed into a Caltrans grader on the 73 Freeway in Newport Beach was identified Monday as a South Gate resident.
Alex Salas-Blanco, 30, was driving a Ford F-250 south on the 73 shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday when the car veered into the center divider and slammed into the grader, Orange County coroner’s officials said.
Salas-Blanco died of his injuries at the scene, authorities said.
An SUV traveling behind the Ford crashed into it after the pickup had hit the grader. A passenger in the SUV suffered minor injuries.
The SUV driver and the California Department of Transportation employee operating the grader were uninjured.
The southbound 73 at MacArthur Boulevard was closed for several hours while officers investigated and crews cleaned up debris.
Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
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