Driver Dies Off Ortega Highway

A Mission Viejo man died after his car rolled off Ortega Highway and down a hill early Friday, authorities said.

James Earl Mitchell, 48, who reportedly was not wearing his seat belt, was ejected from his Cadillac and pinned beneath it at the bottom of the embankment.

The accident occurred about 3:30 a.m., east of San Juan Capistrano, just past Antonio Parkway.

California Highway Patrol officers closed Ortega Highway about 4 1/2 hours.

Mitchell was driving alone, reports state.

Officers said they don’t know why Mitchell turned off the highway or how fast he was going.

“Ortega seems to have a lot of fatal collisions,” said CHP Officer Katrina Lundgren. “It’s a windy highway. It takes some extra skill to drive that part of the highway. . . .”