Driver’s name in fatal crash not yet released

Laguna Beach police are interviewing the driver of a third vehicle who witnessed the fatal head-on auto collision that killed two men Tuesday morning on Laguna Canyon Road, police Capt. Jason Kravetz said Friday.

Kravetz said a white Mercedes sedan was in the lane next to the Tesla that veered into oncoming traffic and collided with a Honda Accord, killing Alberto Casique-Salinas, 46, of Anaheim, and Armando Garcia-Gonzales, 38, of Santa Ana. The men were heading westbound on Laguna Canyon Road on their way to work for a Laguna Beach landscaping company, police said.

Due to the ongoing investigation, Kravetz said he could not release the name of the Tesla driver, who police said was hospitalized Tuesday and released later that day.

Traffic accidents often take longer to investigate than other incidents due the amount of information that needs to be collected, Kravetz said. Investigators interview witnesses and determine the place where the vehicles collided and how fast they were traveling, he said. Police have interviewed several independent witnesses.

Alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the collision, which took place near El Toro Road, police said. Kravetz noted that a Tesla weighs about 4,700 pounds while a Honda Accord weighs about 2,700 pounds.

Police received several 911 calls at 6:43 a.m. Tuesday reporting the crash.

Laguna Canyon Road was closed in both directions for several hours from El Toro Road to the 73 Freeway, about a half-mile stretch, and reopened just after 1 p.m. Tuesday, police said.

bryce.alderton@latimes.com

Twitter: @aldertonbryce