Arizona Crash Kills 3 From Orange County
A crash on a quiet road outside Flagstaff, Ariz., has killed three Orange County residents.
The accident occurred about noon Monday as Nikul Kapadia, 50, drove four people--two adult friends and two youths--along Meteor Crater Road about 35 miles east of Flagstaff after a morning spent sightseeing. The friends were en route to Houston.
Police said they believe that the group was eating lunch in the car when Kapadia, of Laguna Niguel, dropped something and tried to retrieve it. Instead, said Mark Christian, a spokesman for the Coconino County sheriff’s office, he lost control of the vehicle. It rolled over before coming to a rest on its top.
Kapadia was killed instantly, as was Archana Mehta, 39, of Lake Forest. Mehta’s husband, Bharatesh, 41, was thrown from the vehicle and died several hours later at Flagstaff Medical Center.
Kapadia’s 16-year-old son, Neel, and the Mehtas’ 9-year-old son, Paris, suffered minor injuries.
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