Gusts of 70 MPH Punish County; Foreman Is Killed in Irvine

Fierce Santa Ana winds, gusting at more than 70 mph in some places in Orange County on Wednesday, were blamed for the death of a construction worker who was struck by a plywood panel blown off a bridge.

Michael Lee Ray, 44, of Lakewood was working on the Eastern Transportation Corridor in Irvine at 10:20 a.m. when a panel blew off an overpass 50 feet above and struck him in the head, authorities said. He died about four hours later.

The wind also caused the California Highway Patrol to issue a wind advisory at 11:55 a.m. for Interstate 5 in Lake Forest, labeling the freeway unsafe for large vehicles. However, no major accidents were reported, and only the Jamboree Road off-ramp in Irvine had to be closed to remove tumbleweeds, Officer Michael Richardson said.

But the wind battered houses and violently shook trees everywhere.

Luci Collins of Capistrano Beach was stirred her from sleep inside her mobile home by crashing sounds early Wednesday.

“I went and looked outside and all these palm fronds were plunking on top of my metal awning. They’re heavy and they were going right through the awning, putting holes everywhere,” Collins said.

Tom McCorkell of San Juan Capistrano, who drives a 10-seat shuttle bus for the Villa Valencia community in Laguna Hills, said the vehicle “was getting tossed around a good bit.”

Winds blew as hard as 74 mph at Fremont Canyon in the southeastern part of the county, said Wes Etheredge, a meteorologist with WeatherData, which provides forecasts for The Times. The county received considerably more wind than Los Angeles and the gusts may continue today, he said.

The winds get their name because they come through the Santa Ana mountains in eastern Orange County, then move across the basin and out to sea, according to Etheredge.

The fatal accident occurred as Ray, a construction foreman for Rados Inc., was clearing debris on Marine Way, below the bridge near Sand Canyon Avenue. The wood panel hit him just below the brim of his hard hat, said Lisa Telles, spokeswoman for the Transportation Corridor Agencies.

Paramedics arrived to find him unconscious and transported him to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana, where he died just after 2 p.m., Telles said.

Ray was part of a construction crew contracted by the Transportation Corridor Agencies to build a portion of the Eastern Transportation Corridor that connects to Interstate 5.

Cal OSHA is investigating the accident, Telles said.

“There was a lot of wind out there,” said Capt. Scott Brown of the Orange County Fire Authority, adding that meteorologists had measured 50-mph gusts about the time of the accident.

Meanwhile, Gov. Pete Wilson on Wednesday declared a state of emergency in the county.

“Orange County was hit hard by last weekend’s storms and suffered significant damage to both public and private property,” Wilson said. “With this declaration, local governments will be eligible for state assistance and financial relief to cover the costs of responding and rebuilding from these acts of mother nature.”

Damage has already reached $13.3 million, county flood officials estimate.

The declaration was good news for Supervisor Thomas W. Wilson, whose district includes Laguna Beach, which was inundated with mud and flood waters.

“We called the governor’s office and I urged him to declare this because of the evident damage in Laguna Beach,” he said. “I’m very pleased he did so because this allows the county to take advantage of the funding.”

Times staff writers Thao Hua and Robert Ourlian contributed to this report.