Two Accidents Injure Man, 21, and Woman, 81

An 81-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man were in critical condition Friday after being involved in separate accidents in Irvine and Huntington Beach on Thursday, police said.

In the Irvine incident, Barry Lucido, 21, was driving alone in his pickup truck east on Walnut Avenue at 8:50 p.m. when he lost control of the vehicle, drove up the street’s center divider and collided with a tree, Irvine Police Sgt. Brian Clifton said.

Lucido of Irvine was trapped inside the truck until being extricated by the Orange County Fire Department. He was arrested at the scene on drunk-driving charges and taken to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana where he is in critical condition, Clifton said.

“There’s a sharp turn in the road where you have to veer right then go back to the left and for some reason, he didn’t make the turn,” Clifton said. “(Lucido) lives in the area and should be familiar with the road.”

There were no other vehicles involved in the accident, Clifton said.

Earlier Thursday, 81-year-old Mary Nefos was walking across a Brookhurst Street frontage road in Huntington Beach at 1:37 p.m. when she was struck by a car being driven by an 18-year-old Huntington Beach woman, Huntington Police Lt. Jeff Cope said.

Nefos, a resident of Tamaqua, Pa., was knocked down and suffered head and neck injuries. She was taken to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana where she is in critical condition, hospital officials said.