GARDEN GROVE : Moped Rider Dies in Collision With Car
A 43-year-old man died Wednesday after he ran a red light on Acacia Parkway, hit another vehicle broadside and was thrown from his moped, police said.
Catarino Rubalcava of Anaheim was dead on arrival at Garden Grove Hospital, Officer Michael Clabaugh said.
Jung Ja Han, 67, was driving west on Acacia Parkway through the intersection of Euclid Street about 5:33 a.m. Wednesday when Rubalcava’s moped hit her four-door sedan, Clabaugh said.
Rubalcava, who was wearing a helmet and traveling within the speed limit, was thrown from his moped and struck Han’s car before hitting the pavement. Police said Han was not injured.
Rubalcava, a cook at a nearby coffee shop, was on his way to work the morning shift when the accident happened. A manager of the shop said Rubalcava had worked for the restaurant at different locations in Orange County for 11 years.
“He was one of a kind,” said Gus Vatakis. “The kind who would go out of his way to do something for someone else. A real good guy.”
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