Irvine : Riverside Man Dies After Vehicle Hits Tree

A Riverside man died early Friday when he was thrown 60 feet through the canvas roof of his vehicle after swerving off the Santa Ana Freeway and colliding with a tree, police said.

Paul Norman Kaye, 30, was pronounced dead at the scene, the California Highway Patrol said. Kaye, who was southbound in a Suzuki with a canvas top, apparently lost control of the vehicle when he attempted to exit onto the Laguna Freeway and then tried to return to the Santa Ana, Officer Paul Caldwell said.

The interior of the jeep was intact after the collision, Caldwell said, adding that Kaye probably would have survived the accident with only minor injuries if he had worn a seat belt.