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Newport Beach : Cyclist Seriously Injured in Collision With Car

By Maria L. La Ganga
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A 20-year-old bicyclist was seriously injured late Saturday when he apparently ignored a red light, sped through the intersection of West Coast Highway and Prospect Street and was hit by a car, authorities said.

Joseph Pierre Champagne of Huntington Beach was taken to Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center, where he was in serious condition Sunday, a police spokesman said.

Champagne apparently was riding his 12-speed racing bike across Coast Highway at 4:50 p.m. in violation of the red light, when Sean Ardale Harkness, 30, of Sparks, Nev., drove his 1985 Camaro through the intersection and struck Champagne. Harkness had the green light, police said.

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The bicyclist struck the windshield of the car and was thrown to the roadway, where he suffered head injuries, police said. Champagne was treated at the scene and then taken to the hospital.

The driver of the vehicle was not held.

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Maria L. La Ganga

Maria L. La Ganga is the deputy managing editor for California and Metro, overseeing the Los Angeles Times’ largest editorial department. She joined The Times in 1981 as an academic intern, splitting her time between the former Metro section and National Dragster, the official publication of the National Hot Rod Assn. She has served as Seattle bureau chief, San Francisco bureau chief, edited in the Business section and pitched in on six presidential elections, five for The Times and one for the Guardian. La Ganga left The Times in 2015 and returned in 2018 after a brief hiatus during which she wrote for the Guardian and the Idaho Statesman. She was named city editor in 2022 and promoted to her current role in 2024. La Ganga graduated from Granada Hills High School in the San Fernando Valley and Cal State Northridge, where she studied English literature and journalism.

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