Surf City teen airlifted after accident A...

Surf City teen airlifted after accident

A motorcyclist was airlifted to a nearby trauma center on Friday

after rear-ending a car in Southeast Huntington Beach.

Surf City resident Matthew Young, 19, was riding his motorcycle

southbound on Magnolia Street when he collided with a black Honda

Accord just south of Atlanta Avenue at 3:57 p.m.

Young, who was rushed to the UCI Medical Center, had head trauma

and abrasions to his elbows and knees. Doha Sleiman, 63, who was

driving the Honda, was not injured, but his car suffered major

damage, Huntington Beach Police Lt. Bill Peterson said.

“Witnesses said he was going too fast,” Peterson said.

Peterson said that Young’s injuries were not life threatening, but

had no further information on his current condition.

Every 15 Minutes simulates DUI crash

Huntington Beach Police and Fire departments joined forces

Wednesday to teach Marina High School teenagers about the dangers of

drinking and driving by simulating a fatal traffic accident.

As a part of the Every 15 Minutes DUI education program, a traffic

accident was staged on Graham Street north of Edinger Avenue at 11

a.m. While students watched, police officers and firefighters

responded to the accident by treating the three victims and arresting

the drunk driver.

The victims were taken to the hospital and pronounced dead. The

driver was booked into the local jail and, later that afternoon, took

part in a mock trial at the West Justice Center in Santa Ana.

At 9:55 this morning, students will speak at an assembly about

their experiences in the program.

The program title refers to the statistic that every 15 minutes,

someone in the country dies in a drunk driving accident. A student,

selected in advance, was removed from class every 15 minutes

throughout the day to emphasize the number of lives lost. The

students returned to class, but were asked not to communicate with

friends for the rest of the day.

The program was funded by a $5,000 grant from the office of

traffic safety and the California Highway Patrol.