Heart Attack Might Have Killed Driver
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NEWPORT BEACH — A 67-year-old Irvine man apparently suffered a fatal heart attack before he lost control of his car Friday and struck two parked cars, police said.
Police said John Kelley was traveling about 25 m.p.h. westbound on Newport Center Drive near San Nicholas Drive at 12:19 p.m. when his car began drifting. A pedestrian, Brent Claxton, 23, of Costa Mesa, suffered a slight injury when one of the parked cars bumped him as he tried to move out of the way. Claxton did not require hospitalization, police said.
Kelley, who was unconscious when police arrived, had a history of heart disease, Newport Beach Police Lt. Tim Newman said. He was taken to Hoag Hospital, where he was declared dead at 1 p.m. The county coroner’s office scheduled an autopsy for today.
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