Woman Dies in Crash After Running Red Light; 4 Hurt

A Huntington Beach woman who apparently ran a red light died instantly Wednesday when her car struck two other vehicles and veered into two bicyclists, injuring a total of four people, authorities said.

Clarice Hartman, 84, was traveling south on Magnolia Avenue at about 1 p.m. when she crashed into a pickup truck and another car at the Adams Avenue intersection, Police Sgt. Janet Perez said.

The impact sent the pickup rolling across the intersection and the woman’s car into two bicyclists, who had been waiting for the red light, Perez said.

The pickup driver, Christopher Bertine, 35, of Mission Viejo, was treated for head injuries at the Western Medical Center-Santa Ana and released, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Paula Main, 29, of Fountain Valley, who was driving the second car, suffered moderate head and chest injuries and was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange, where she was reported in stable condition.

The two bicyclists were identified as Marvin Coburn, 66, of Fountain Valley and Edgar Woznica, 71, of Irvine. Coburn also was taken to UCI Medical Center for head injuries and was in stable condition, according to a spokeswoman. Woznica, who suffered leg and arm injuries, was taken to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana and was listed in stable condition.

Police said that Hartman was wearing her seat belt and that both bicyclists had their helmets on.

Although the woman apparently ran a red light, it did not appear that she was speeding, police said.

The accident was at least the third traffic fatality in 18 months on Adams Avenue, according to police records.

On Dec. 17, Donna Davis, 34, of Brea died and her companion, Mark McLaughlin, 41, of Garden Grove, was severely injured when their car was rear-ended on Adams near Magnolia Avenue.

About a year before that, a pedestrian, Arthur Moorman Kleppinger, 46, of Stanton, was struck and killed by a car on Adams Avenue near Huntington Street.

Police Lt. Bruce Kelly said the Adams-Magnolia intersection is among the most dangerous in the city, with 42 traffic accidents in the last year.

Times correspondent Bill Billiter contributed to this story.