Head-On Collision Kills 2 on Santiago Canyon Curve

A 16-year-old boy who apparently was on his way home from a Boy Scout meeting Tuesday night lost control of his car on a curve and struck another car head-on, killing two men, the California Highway Patrol said.

The accident occurred about 8 p.m. on Santiago Canyon Road, about a mile north of Silverado Canyon Road, CHP spokeswoman Angel Johnson said at the scene.

The names of the dead men were not released, pending notification of their relatives.

Johnson said the 16-year-old, who was dressed in a Boy Scout uniform, was taken to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana with severe injuries. He, too, remained unidentified.

Johnson said alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the accident.

“This is one highway that I wouldn’t want to travel on after dark,” she said. “It’s a dangerous stretch of road.”

Johnson said the 16-year-old was driving north on Santiago Canyon Road when he apparently lost control of his Pontiac sedan on a curve and began skidding sideways. The car then drifted into the southbound lane and slammed head-on into a blue Volkswagen.

The two men in the Volkswagen, ages 22 and 23, were killed instantly, Johnson said.

David Glick, 27, of Portola Hills, one of the first to arrive at the scene, said the 16-year-old somehow managed to get out of his car before it burst into flames.

“We got here and it had just started on fire,” Glick said. “Right when it blew, I ran over to the blue car. Some guy and I crow-barred the door off, but the two people had no pulse.”

Santiago Canyon Road was closed to traffic for two hours while officers investigated the crash.