Crashes Leave 1 Dead, 2 Critically Hurt

A man was killed and two others were critically injured in three unrelated traffic accidents Friday, authorities said.

In Huntington Beach, a 39-year-old man lost control of his Ford Aerostar, which jumped a curb and crashed at about 50 mph into a printing office at 8 a.m. in the 7400 block of Warner Avenue, Police Lt. Luis Ochoa said. Firefighters used a hydraulic cutting device for about 30 minutes to free the man from the wreckage, Ochoa said.

The driver was taken by helicopter to UCI Medical Center in Orange, where he was being treated for internal injuries, compound leg fractures and a broken arm, the lieutenant said. His name was not released because his family had not been notified.

Two hours later in Cypress, an elderly man was fatally injured when his car collided with another at Orange and Bloomfield avenues, Police Sgt. Jim Olson said.

Arnold Patterson, 81, of Cypress was taken to Los Alamitos Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 10:11 a.m., said Deputy Joseph Luckey of the Orange County coroner’s office.

The driver of the other car, whose name was not released, was taken to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center with relatively minor injuries.

It appeared one of the drivers ran a red light, Luckey said. Police are still investigating the collision.

In the third accident, an 83-year-old man driving east on Talavera Drive in Laguna Niguel suffered pelvis fractures and a punctured lung when he ran a stop sign and was hit broadside by another vehicle about 2 p.m., Sheriff’s Lt. Larry Abbott said.

The man was making a left turn onto Pacific Island Drive when he was hit by a woman driving west on Pacific Island with her three children, Abbott said.

“One of the kids was taken to a local hospital as a precautionary measure,” Abbott said. “The woman had [the right of way] but the elderly man just didn’t stop.”

The unidentified man was taken to Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo, where he was in serious condition, said Karen Prestia, a hospital spokeswoman.