South County Snarls : String of Mishaps Ties Up Drivers

Morning commuters were trapped in massive snarls Thursday after a semi-truck flipped on the Santa Ana Freeway, three cars collided in the opposite lanes nearby and commuters who left the freeway to use Coast Highway confronted more congestion due to a broken water main.

The mess started at 7:30 a.m. when a truck driven by Edward K. Kita, 46, of Gardena skidded on the wet pavement when Kita tried to avoid slow-moving traffic northbound on the freeway near Crown Valley Parkway in Mission Viejo, California Highway Patrol spokesman Ken Daily said.

The truck, carrying Broadway department store merchandise, jackknifed and fell on its side near the shoulder of the freeway, Daily said.

Kita was treated at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo for minor injuries and released.

Rush-Hour Traffic Snarl

But rush-hour traffic backed up about 4 miles to San Juan Capistrano while crews worked for nearly 3 hours to clear the area, Daily said. Southbound lanes were also clogged as drivers slowed to look at the accident on the other side of the freeway.

About 4 miles north on the Santa Ana Freeway at 8:30 a.m., Christy Mei-Wang 46, of El Toro lost control of her car as she entered the southbound lanes at La Paz Road, broadsiding one car before coming to a stop, Daily said. Her car was immediately rear-ended by another car.

Mei-Wang suffered a broken collar bone, and the other two drivers had minor injuries, he said. The three also were taken to Mission Hospital.

By then, many drivers tried to avoid the tie-ups on the freeway by taking the Coast Highway.

Water Main Break

But an 8-inch water main beneath the highway at Seaward Road in Corona del Mar had broken at midnight Wednesday, causing the roadway to soften and some of the asphalt forming a northbound lane to collapse, said Bob Dixon, Newport Beach utilities director.

Morning traffic around the broken pipe backed up several miles through the morning to Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach and beyond, Newport Beach Police Lt. Paul Henisey said.

Utility crews will continue work on the water main probably through today. To ease traffic around that area, two lanes will be opened in the heaviest direction of traffic during commuting hours today, Henisey said.

“It’s a real tricky spot,” Dixon said. “The only way to get around it is to take Laguna Canyon Road.”

Some drivers tried just that, turning east in Laguna Beach to Laguna Canyon Road. But they were faced with more congestion, Henisey said.

About 10 a.m., the engine of a van traveling on Laguna Canyon Road caught fire, Laguna Beach firefighter Jeff Priest said. The van pulled into a nearby parking lot. The small fire was extinguished by the time firefighters arrived, he said.

Thursday’s rain didn’t help matters, Daily said.

“When we have that light, misty rain, people underestimate their stopping distance,” he said. “It must have been a little unnerving for the people going to work.”