Laguna Beach : Motorist Improving After Head-on Crash

The condition of a 17-year-old motorist who was critically injured in a head-on collision with a suspected drunk driver had improved slightly Sunday, according to a spokeswoman for Western Medical Center in Santa Ana.

Mark Pavlinac, 17, was driving on Laguna Canyon Road on Saturday with three 17-year-old passengers when their car was hit head-on by a car driven by Richard T. Aragon, 29, of Westminster. Aragon was later arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving, police said.

Pavlinac’s passengers included Howard Swope, whose condition was upgraded from serious to stable Sunday at Mission Community Hospital in Mission Viejo; John Thomas of West Covina, who remained in serious condition at Mission Community; and William Valentine of Glendora, who was in stable condition at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana.

Police did not know home addresses for Pavlinac and Swope.

Aragon’s passenger, Celine Humprey, 23, of Newport Beach, was taken to Saddleback Community Hospital in Laguna Hills where she was treated and released Saturday.

After treatment for injuries at Saddleback, Aragon was released from the hospital on his own recognizance.