4 Corona Youths Hurt in Crash

Four Corona teen-agers, apparently heading for a morning of surfing, were injured when their car struck a traffic signal post Wednesday morning.

Police said the car was southbound on Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa about 4:30 a.m. when, according to a witness, it ran a red light at Sunflower Street, jumped a curb and struck the post.

Two of the youths, including driver Michael L. Wilhelm, 17, had to be pried from the wreckage. Wilhelm and passenger Jeffery Daniel Seims, 16, were in critical condition with massive head injuries at Fountain Valley Community Hospital Wednesday.

John R. Lett, 16, was in serious condition at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana following spleen surgery. A spokeswoman said a fourth youth, Jason Adam Yasment, 17, was in stable condition.

Surfboards strapped to the top of the car indicated the four were probably on their way to the beach, Waldron said. “Surfers often like to go the beach about 5 or 6 a.m. to surf,” he said.