Rain Blamed for Fatal Car Crash

Scattered showers left drivers with a wet and slippery commute in parts of Orange County on Thursday and were the apparent cause of a fatal traffic accident in Lake Forest, authorities said.

Clifford Dahlin, 84, and his wife, Georgia, 81, of Canoga Park were traveling north in the carpool lane of the Santa Ana Freeway near Lake Forest Drive at about 10 a.m., when Clifford Dahlin lost control of the 1992 Ford Taurus in heavy rain. Authorities said his car hydroplaned to the next lane and was struck by two cars before it collided with a divider wall. No other injuries were reported, police said.

Both victims were pronounced dead at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo. They suffered severe chest, head and internal injuries, police said.

California Highway Patrol Officer Katrina Lundgren said the accident closed four lanes of northbound traffic for almost an hour, backing up cars about 12 miles to Avery Parkway.

The dark clouds dropped just trace amounts of rain in most parts of the county, said Stan Wasowski a forecaster for the National Weather Service.

Wasowski said more rain and even a slight chance of thunderstorms is likely today.

“A low pressure zone is still hanging around San Francisco, which will keep the little storms coming in off the ocean,” Wasowski said.

The wet weather is expected to last through Saturday morning.