Driver killed in early morning crash on PCH in Huntington Beach ID’d

One motorist is dead and another hospitalized after an early morning collision Monday on Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach landed one vehicle on its roof and sent another into the wetlands — the city’s third fatal crash since last week.

The incident took place shortly after 2 a.m., when police were called to a portion of the highway, south of Warner Avenue, near the Bolsa Chica Ecological Preserve. Officers arrived to find a black Ford Expedition and a white Audi Q5 had collided, HBPD reported in a news release.

The driver of the Ford, a 44-year-old man from Sunnyvale, suffered minor injuries after his vehicle lost control and careened into the wetlands, police reported. He remained at the scene, cooperating with police and was eventually transported to a local hospital, the release stated. Investigators do not believe the driver was impaired at the time of the crash.

Across the highway, the driver of the Audi — identified by the coroner’s office as 29-year-old Alec Barbisan, of Huntington Beach, according to sheriff’s spokeperson Sgt. Gerard McCann — died at the scene, police reported. His identity was not immediately released.

A video posted to social media showed the vehicle, an SUV, upside down in a beach parking lot just west of PCH.

PCH was closed in both directions, from Warner Avenue to Seapoint Street, for two to three hours to accommodate the cleanup and investigation, before lanes opened to vehicles traveling northbound, HBPD spokesperson Jessica Cuchilla said.

Based on the preliminary investigation, the Ford was traveling north on PCH when the Audi struck it from behind, according to police.

Authorities do not know if the driver of the Audi was impaired when his car hit the SUV and are waiting for information from the Orange County Coroner’s Office.

This is the third fatal collision in Huntington Beach since Dec. 1, when a pedestrian — Kurt George Mickel, 71, of Huntington Beach — and his dog were killed on Springdale Avenue, shortly before 6:30 a.m., by a Ford F250 whose driver stayed at the scene to talk with police.

The following afternoon, Ryan Mark Larson, 37, also of Huntington Beach, was killed after the vehicle he was driving on Heil Avenue at a high rate of speed lost control as it crossed the intersection with Goldenwest Street and struck multiple cars, sending three others to the hospital.

Cuchilla wrote in a statement that HBPD “remains committed to doing everything we can to prevent collisions and keep our community safe,” including proactive enforcement focused on dangerous driving behaviors and potential safety violations.

Police encourage motorists to never drive impaired, slow down and follow posted speed limits and to stay focused on driving by putting phones down, avoiding distractions and keeping an eye out for cyclists and pedestrians who may be in or near the roadway.

“Traffic safety is a shared responsibility, Cuchilla wrote. “Even one life lost is one too many, and we all play a role in preventing future tragedies.”

Monday’s collision is still under investigation and being handled by HBPD’s accident investigators.

Anyone who may have witnessed the collision, or the events leading up to it, is encouraged to contact traffic investigator Cameron Houlston at (714) 536-5670.