Crash Site ‘an Accident Waiting to Happen’

The fatal five-car accident Friday night on Santiago Canyon Road renewed concerns over its safety as a growing number of motorists use the narrow, winding road to commute to and from new developments at the base of the Santa Ana Mountains.

The road--which snakes through the foothills between Orange and Mission Viejo--has long been considered one of the county’s most treacherous.

More than 30 people have died in accidents on the winding road in the last 10 years, many in head-on collisions.

Some residents and officials said the recent opening of the Eastern toll road through the area has increased traffic and the potential for accidents.

“People just go so damn fast,” said Bob Bennyhoff, a community activist who lives in Orange Park Acres.

Silverado Canyon resident Shelly Solomon agreed, saying that many motorists use the road as a shortcut to avoid traffic jams on the Santa Ana and Costa Mesa freeways.

“People just don’t drive very carefully,” she said. “Everybody tailgates. You have a chain of 10 cars following closely. It is an accident waiting to happen.”

County Supervisor Todd Spitzer, who represents the area, said Saturday he is aware of the safety concerns and is looking into ways to improve the situation.

“The road in and of itself is not inherently dangerous,” Spitzer said. “There is nothing that can replace a driver’s own awareness. . . . No matter how safe you make a road, you cannot correct for driver negligence.”

The county is getting ready to conduct an engineering study suggesting possible safety measures such as adding more signs, building passing and decelerating lanes, requiring use of headlights during the day, and lowering speed limits in certain areas, Spitzer said.

The fatal accident Friday night occurred when Shadi Basharah, 21, of Anaheim, lost control of his Mercedes and crashed with oncoming traffic, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Basharah, who was not wearing his seat belt, was ejected from his car and died at the scene.

The CHP is still investigating, and authorities believe that rain might have been a contributing factor.

An Anaheim Hills woman was critically injured in the accident and taken to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana.

A hospital official said Saturday that the family did not want any information released.

Increased residential development in the foothills area and the opening last fall of the Eastern toll road have turned the once bucolic Santiago Canyon Road into a major South County throughway, according to some residents.

The Friday accident occurred in an stretch near the toll road that had recently been widened from two lanes to four lanes.

An early 1990s study on widening a larger portion of Santiago Canyon Road was met with fierce opposition by local residents who feared the move might be a presage to increased development in their relatively pristine area.

“The people in the canyon do not want to see that road widened,” Spitzer said.

He said the cost was also prohibitive for the county: nearly $80 million in 1993 dollars.

Nonetheless, he said, the county recognizes its increased use and safety is a concern and hopes to work with residents for a solution.