South Laguna : Car-Truck Crash Kills Two on Coast Highway

Two men were fatally hurt early Tuesday when the car they were riding in crashed head-on with a truck in South Laguna, California Highway Patrol officials said.

William Watts, 26, of Huntington Beach and Richard Duncan, 27, of Fountain Valley, who had been riding in the front seat of the car, died at the scene shortly after midnight, the CHP said.

Had they been wearing seat belts, the CHP officer investigating the case said in his report, “there is a great possibility they would not have suffered fatal injuries.”

Willy Barron, 28, of Capistrano Beach, who was riding in the back seat of Watts’ car, suffered what a CHP spokesman said were “moderate injuries.”

Robert Reynolds, 20, of Orange, who was driving the truck, also suffered moderate injuries.

Barron and Reynolds were taken to Mission Community Hospital in Mission Viejo, CHP Officer Ken Daily said.

Watts was driving south on Coast Highway at about 65 to 70 m.p.h. when his car drifted to the right, striking a guardrail, Daily said. The car bounced off the rail, crossed all southbound lanes of traffic and then struck Reynolds’ truck.