2 Injured as Auto Plows Into Group of Bicyclists

A car veered out of control on a curve on Culver Drive in Irvine on Saturday afternoon, struck a guardrail and plowed into a group of bicyclists, injuring two of them, one seriously.

The car’s driver, Efren Martinez, 20, of Santa Ana, was arrested and booked into Orange County jail on suspicion of felony drunk driving, Irvine Sgt. Mike Ogden said. Bail was set at $10,000.

The two bicyclists, who were part of a group of 15 traveling south on Culver between Campus Drive and Bonita Canyon Road, were taken to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana. Kathy Fall, 23, of Huntington Beach sustained two broken legs, a broken pelvis, a concussion and cuts and bruises. She was listed late Saturday in serious but stable condition.

The other bicyclist, Charles Knoth, 29, also of Huntington Beach, was treated and released for a sprained back, an Irvine police spokesman said.

Witnesses said the older model Oldsmobile was speeding north on Culver at more than 55 m.p.h. about 4:15 p.m. when it veered left, struck the guardrail and spun into the bicyclists.

Tangle of Barbed-Wire

Mike Erickson, 30, of Fountain Valley, who was riding a few yards behind the lead group, said the female bicyclist was hit broadside by the vehicle as it was spinning. The car eventually came to rest amid a tangle of barbed-wire fence.

“The car just went right across her. I thought she was dead,” Erickson said. “It was like a dream, like something you see on TV . . . that you think can’t happen in front of you.”

Adam Lamar, 21, of Irvine said he was riding at the tail end of the group, grasping at an ailing knee, when he heard those in front of him scream.

“I looked up and saw this big car coming right at us,” he said.

Fled on Foot

Initially, there were conflicting reports from witnesses regarding the number of people in the car. Three Latino men in their 20s emerged from the car, but they insisted that the driver had fled on foot. The uninjured bicyclists told police investigators that they did see which of the men got out from the passenger side.

Police searched the flat but bushy terrain near the accident site in a helicopter and found no one. After police questioning, two of the men identified their companion as the driver.

Martinez was taken into custody and questioned further by investigators. He also was given both a field sobriety test and a blood test for intoxication, a police spokesman said.

Culver Drive between Campus Drive and Bonita Canyon Road was ordered closed until noon today while police complete their investigation.