Three Dead In Newport Beach Car Crash On Pacific Coast Highway

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — Three people were killed Thursday morning after the car they were passengers in slammed into construction equipment on a portion of Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach.

The three people were identified as Crystal McCallum, 34, of Texas, Wayne Walter Swanson Jr., 40, of Newport Coast, and Andrew James Chaves, 32, of Arizona, the Orange County Sheriff's Department said.

Three construction workers at the scene received minor, non-life-threatening injuries, the Newport Beach Police Department said. The workers were treated at a local hospital.

Newport Beach police said it received several calls around 12:45 a.m. about a car crash in the 3000 block of Pacific Coast Highway. The car was traveling eastbound on the road when it hit a curb and crashed into construction equipment on the south side of the road.

Officers found all three of the car's occupants dead.

All lanes of traffic on Pacific Coast Highway from Superior to Riverside avenues were closed as Newport Beach Police's Major Accident Investigation Team looked into the cause of the crash. A portion of Pacific Coast Highway was closed for several hours Thursday during the team's investigation of the crash site.

Anyone with information on the crash can contact Traffic Investigator Austin Laverty by email.