3 Killed as Driver Swerves Across Lanes Into Traffic

Three people were killed late Tuesday night when the driver of one car swerved into oncoming traffic and collided with at least one other vehicle, police said.

The accident occurred in the 9600 block of Irvine Center Drive, just east of Lake Forest Drive, police said.

Details of the 10 p.m. accident were sketchy, but it appeared that a man in his early 50s drove his Mercury Marquis across the double yellow lines of a poorly lighted stretch of the four-lane highway and collided with a Chevrolet Camaro driven by a woman, police said.

A Ford Bronco then became involved in the accident but it was not clear how, said police at the scene.

The driver of the Mercury, his female passenger and the driver of the Camaro were killed instantly, Police Lt. Mike White said. The driver of the Bronco was taken to Saddleback Community Hospital in Laguna Hills with minor injuries, White said.

The identities of the dead were not released. However, the vehicles involved in the accident were registered to people in Irvine, Laguna Hills and Boulder Creek, Calif., Police Sgt. Jim Potts said.

“It appears that the driver of one vehicle crossed the double yellow lines on Irvine Center and hit the other two cars,” Potts said.

No other injuries were reported.

Irvine Center Drive was closed to traffic for at least 90 minutes as police investigated the accident and crews cleared away the wreckage.

Police said toxicological tests will have to be conducted to determine whether alcohol was a factor in the crash.

In June, a pedestrian was struck and killed by a car near the same stretch of Irvine Center Drive.

Times staff writer Kristina Lindgren contributed to this report.