Laguna Beach : 2 Badly Hurt as Car Hits Tractor-Trailer

A small convertible sports car crashed into the back of a parked 18-wheel tractor-trailer rig in Laguna Beach early Monday morning, critically injuring its driver and a passenger, police said.

Marc Stewart, 26, of Irvine, who was driving the car, and his passenger, John Gilmour, 22, of West Hollywood, were listed in critical condition at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo, suffering from head injuries, spleen injuries and broken facial bones, hospital spokeswoman Nancy Gasho said.

Stewart also broke his left arm and knee, she said.

Stewart was driving a Fiat Spyder convertible northbound in the 400 block of North Coast Highway shortly after midnight, Police Sgt. Ray Lardie said.

He apparently veered off the road and smashed into the rear of the truck, which was parked on the right shoulder of the highway, Lardie said.

The driver of the tractor-trailer, who was not injured, told police that he had been inspecting his lights to prepare for a long-distance trip when he heard a loud crash. He rushed to the back of the rig and saw the mangled wreckage.

The tractor-trailer was not damaged, Lardie said.

Sgt. Greg Bartz said motorists who stopped at the scene of the accident told them that they saw Stewart driving “erratically” moments before the crash.

He said a blood sample was taken from Stewart at the hospital to test for alcohol in his blood. Results of that test are not yet available.

“We are going on suspicion that (Stewart) may have been operating the vehicle under the influence of alcohol,” Bartz said.

There was no indication that Stewart had been speeding, Bartz said.