Car Crashes Into Bus Bench; 3 Hurt
COSTA MESA — A car leaped a curb and crashed into a bus bench Friday night, bringing the clear enclosure tumbling down on three people waiting for a bus.
They suffered only minor injuries.
“It’s amazing we didn’t have a fatal here tonight,†said Costa Mesa Police Officer Mike Yamada, surveying the flattened bus stop and the car, which stalled, tires flattened, in a smoking heap on the sidewalk.
Police said Manuel G. Suchite, 27, had just pulled out of a shopping center on West 19th Street and Placentia Avenue when he lost control of his Nissan and drove over the curb, apparently to avoid a car coming behind him.
Suchite’s car hit the bus stop and pinned one man to the wall of a store a few feet away. The victims, two adults and one 15-year-old, suffered only minor injuries and were taken to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach. Their names were not released, but police said they were not related.
Police said Suchite, of Costa Mesa, was cited for failing to yield the right of way as he exited the strip-mall parking lot. Alcohol was not a factor in the accident, officers said. Neither Suchite nor his passenger, who was not identified, were injured.
“Basically, he just pulled out too soon and felt the other car bearing down,†said Officer Barry Schleider. “He tried to get over and wound up going too far.â€
Schleider said the victims complained of cuts, back pain and an ankle injury.
“It was a terrible accident that turned out well,†he said. “Amazingly well.â€
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