Briefly in the News

Deepa Bharath

A 29-year-old Corona del Mar man died early Tuesday of severe head

injuries after he was thrown from his car, which spun off the Corona del

Mar Freeway and landed on the San Diego Freeway Monday morning, officials

said.

Driving a Ford Mustang Cobra, John Lopez was traveling northbound

toward the San Diego Freeway interchange at a “high rate of speed” Monday

about 11:30 a.m., when he lost control of his vehicle, said California

Highway Patrol Officer Joann O’Hair.

The convertible flipped over and landed on the San Diego Freeway,

where it was hit by two separate vehicles, she said. Lopez was ejected

from the car after that, but was not run over, O’Hair said.

He was transported to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, where he

was pronounced dead about 2 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Orange County

coroner.

O’Hair said witnesses saw Lopez’s car going fast, but investigators

are still looking into whether he was speeding.