Crime & Safety
Car Strikes Chevron Gas Pump, Man Injured In Fiery Explosion
A Seal Beach Chevron customer filling up Sunday night was injured after a car slammed into the fuel pump he was using, igniting the blaze.
SEAL BEACH, CA -An alleged drunk driver caused a fiery crash at a Seal Beach gas station, officials say. Huntington Beach resident James Eric Chang, 44, was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and crashing into a Westminster Avenue Chevron station fuel pump.
One customer was fueling up just before midnight, Sunday, when the car Chang was driving barreled through the 2900 block of Westminster Avenue Chevron station, Seal Beach police Sgt. Mike Henderson said.
Chang lost control of the car which then crashed into the pump. An explosion erupted, and the customer was injured in the incident. .
Find out what's happening in Los Alamitos-Seal Beachfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Orange County Fire Authority firefighters responded to the scene and took the customer by ambulance to a nearby hospital.
"He was expected to survive," OCFA Capt. Larry Kurtz said.
Find out what's happening in Los Alamitos-Seal Beachfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The fire was extinguished in 15 minutes, and the crash caused $25,000 in damage to the two vehicles and $100,000 in damage to the gas station, Kurtz said.
Chang was being held without bail as of this report.
On 2/10/19 at 11:25pm, SBPD went to a traffic collision at the Chevron station located at 2950 Westminster. A vehicle driving north on Seal Beach Bl. lost control & hit a gas pump. A customer was struck & was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. pic.twitter.com/cHugS7Favk
— Seal Beach Police (@SealBeachPolice) February 11, 2019
Renee Schiavone Photo
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
