Storms Leave Five Dead; More Rain Possible Today

Two Pacific storm systems that converged over Orange County during the weekend, dumping almost 1 1/2 inches on some parts of the Southland, were being blamed Sunday for the deaths of five people, numerous traffic accidents, power outages and at least one mud slide.

The heavy rains, which began late Friday evening and ended by early Sunday morning, resulted when the remains of Tropical Storm Selma, which formed off the coast of Mexico, met the season’s first winter-type low pressure system from the North Pacific, according to Mike Smith, a meteorologist at WeatherData, which provides forecasts for The Times.

Heads Into Arizona

The brunt of the storm headed east into Arizona during the day and, after some residual showers, mainly near the foothills overnight, Orange County can expect partly cloudy skies today with highs in the upper 60s to mid-70s, forecasters said.

But another low-pressure system, now over the Western states and spinning counterclockwise, drawing moisture both from the Pacific and the weekend’s storms, could bring scattered showers here again as early as this afternoon, Smith said.

He said the Los Angeles area has been unusually wet since midsummer--2.47 inches of rain have fallen in some areas since July 1, contrasted with the average to this date of .64 inches.

Local Measurements

During the 24 hours ending at 5 p.m. Sunday, .21 inches of rain fell in Newport Beach, and the National Weather Service recorded .12 of an inch of rainfall in San Juan Capistrano, .03 inch of rain in El Toro, and .01 inch in Santa Ana.

This weekend’s storms dropped 1.39 inches in downtown Los Angeles, 1.79 at Santa Monica and 4.94 at Mt. Wilson, Smith said.

At least two Orange County residents died in separate rain-related accidents.

In Huntington Beach, one man died, one man suffered injuries that may cost him a leg and seven other people were hurt when a car carrying a Costa Mesa family failed to stop at a red light, authorities said.

William David Turner, 18, of Huntington Beach, suffered massive head injuries and was declared dead at the scene after he crashed while racing east on Warner Avenue east of Pacific Coast Highway about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, according to Huntington Beach police. Turner’s car struck a curb, crashed into a wall and flipped over, police said. No one else was hurt.

About an hour later, a 42-year-old Huntington Beach man fell onto Beach Boulevard near Adams Avenue where he was struck by a northbound car driven by Michael Sundine, 27, of Huntington Beach, police said.

The injured man, who was not identified pending notification of relatives, was taken to UCI Medical Center in the City of Orange and may lose his leg, which was seriously injured in the crash, police said.

Sundine was arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving, police said.

On Saturday night, a Costa Mesa family in a car was struck by a limousine and a pickup truck when they failed to stop at a red light during a heavy downpour, police said.

Dennis Brett Paull, 29, was taken by helicopter to Memorial Medical Center of Long Beach, police said. Paull was listed in fair condition late Sunday with head trauma, a possible fractured hip and cuts and bruises, a hospital spokesman said. His wife, Cheryl Ann Paull, 26, was listed in stable condition at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana.

Their 2-year-old daughter, Brittany Cynthia Paull, was listed in stable condition at UCI Medical Center. A passenger in the car, Jennifer Marie Ballard, 9, of Huntington Beach, was treated at Pacifica Community Hospital in Huntington Beach for a broken arm and later released, police said.

According to police, Dennis Paull failed to stop at a red light shortly before 7 p.m. as he was eastbound on Hamilton Avenue, entering the intersection at Brookhurst Street. Paull’s car was struck by a limousine northbound on Brookhurst driven by Burgess Harold Norminton, 29, of Newport Beach.

A pickup truck traveling north on Brookhurst, driven by Claude Levi Hega Jr., 30, of Orange, then slammed into Paull’s car. The three vehicles crashed into a fourth car, driven by Don Randall Hause, 33, of Huntington Beach, that was waiting for the red light on Hamilton.

Norminton, Hega and Hause were treated for minor injuries at Pacifica Community Hospital and released, police said. It was not immediately known whether Paull was cited for causing the collision.

In Newport Beach, a man authorities described as a 42-year-old transient walking on Irvine Avenue was struck and killed early Sunday when a driver was unable to miss him, authorities said.

Steve Greathouse was pronounced dead at the scene of head injuries, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said.

CHP officials said the 25-year-old driver from Irvine was eastbound at 30 m.p.h. on Irvine Avenue, just west of Orchard Drive, shortly before 3 a.m. Sunday, when at the last instant she saw Greathouse. The driver was not cited and was not injured in the collision, a CHP spokesman said. An investigation was continuing.

Elsewhere in the Southland, three people were killed and several others were injured in traffic accidents that authorities blamed on the heavy rains.

A unidentified, 31-year-old Los Angeles woman died Saturday evening when the car she was riding in slid out of control on Figueroa Street and ran a red light at 42nd Street, crashing into and ricocheting off five other vehicles before stopping, Los Angeles police said.

The driver of the car, Brenda Carter, 34, was being treated at County-USC Medical Center for massive face injuries, officers said. Five people in a van struck by Carter’s car were treated for minor injuries.

In Newhall, a head-on collision on the rain-slick Sierra Highway killed a 15-year-old boy and injured five others Saturday afternoon, the California Highway Patrol said.

Keith Cooper died at an area hospital after the car he was riding in with his two brothers started hydroplaning and struck an on-coming car carrying three teen-age girls, officers said.

The CHP blamed heavy rain and fog for a head-on collision on Pearblossom Highway near Palmdale on Saturday afternoon that killed Robert Wells, 30, of Agua Dulce and critically injured Clarence Rachel, 30, of Pacoima.

On the Ventura-Los Angeles County line, near Chatsworth, a mud slide blocked the northbound lane of Box Canyon Road just south of Studio Road for several hours Sunday, said CHP Officer Bill Burdick. Ventura County road crews cleared the slide by mid-afternoon.

Los Angeles County health officials closed beaches to swimmers from Zuma to Long Beach for the second time in two weeks, after more than 4 million gallons of partially treated sewage overflowed into Ballona Creek and Santa Monica Bay on Saturday.

Toby Staheli, spokeswoman for the county Department of Health Services, said the closure was a precautionary measure until tests of the water’s bacterial content are completed.

About 2.7 million gallons of chlorinated sewage flowed into the creek and bay Oct. 23, causing a similar beach closure.

The city’s sewer system is designed to overflow into Ballona Creek when rainwater floods its tunnels, said Anna Sklar, spokeswoman for the Department of Water and Power.

The rain, which besides putting a damper on Halloween festivities throughout the Southland, played a few other tricks Saturday night.

Lights flickered, then went out in about 5,000 homes and businesses in South-Central Los Angeles, DWP spokesman Ed Freudenburg said. Most of the power outages, which lasted from a few minutes for some customers to hours for others, were repaired early Sunday, he added.

Firefighters plucked two Los Angeles men, one of them wearing a pink ballerina’s outfit, from the roof of their car early Sunday morning after they accidentally drove into the surging Los Angeles River near Griffith Park, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Jim Wells said.

The two men, whose names were not released, told police that they were on their way home from a Halloween party when they got lost and drove into the water.

Wells said firefighters were able to reach the men by swinging a ladder over the river and pulling them out with rescue harnesses.

Hours later, a 13-year-old boy who ventured into the area of the river on his surfboard was rescued by firefighters after he got tangled in debris in the fast-moving water.

“I guess the board took off without him and he got stuck in some debris and rocks,” Firefighter Gil Espinoza said. “We got him out with a lifeline.”

The boy, who name was withheld, was not injured, but was taken to Glendale Memorial Hospital for a checkup.

WeatherData’s Smith said that as the rain moved east, it prompted flash-flood warnings in Arizona and even a reported tornado north of Phoenix. No damage was reported, however.

Times staff writer Lonn Johnston contributed to this story.