Wrong Way Collision Kills Mustang Driver Overnight In Inland OC

TUSTIN, CA — California Highway Patrol closed the Costa Mesa Freeway connector after a wrong way driver met with a Mustang, one man pronounced dead at the scene overnight. The twisted metal and shattered glass from the crumpled Mustang covered the roadway where a 33-year-old driver was killed by a suspected DUI driver. One passenger in the Mustang and the suspected DUI driver were also injured, according to CHP.

The crash was reported just after 2 a.m. on the northbound Costa Mesa (55) Freeway connector to the northbound Santa Ana (5) Freeway, the California Highway Patrol reported. The victim died at the scene, the CHP said.

"Officers saw the suspect driving the wrong way at speeds of at least 100 mph and attempted to stop him," CHP Sgt. Todd Kovaletz told reporters at the scene.

The driver struck a car head-on, killing that vehicle's driver, authorities said. The female passenger in the victim's car, as well as the suspect driver, were taken to hospitals with serious injuries.

Authorities said the wrong-way driver is suspected of driving while intoxicated. The crash prompted the closure of the transition road for several hours.

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