Man killed in chain reaction of crashes on 405 Freeway in Costa Mesa ID’d

California Highway Patrol investigators are piecing together a series of collisions Tuesday night on the 405 Freeway in Costa Mesa that killed one motorist from Orange, injured several others and resulted in a full-freeway closure lasting six hours.

CHP spokesman Sergio Rivera said officers were called to southbound lanes of the freeway, just south of Harbor Boulevard, shortly after 11:30 p.m., regarding a two-vehicle collision. Upon their arrival, they discovered numerous vehicles were involved in what appears to be a chain reaction of crashes.

“There were multiple cars — it was more than just two,” Rivera said Wednesday, estimating there may have been about seven or eight drivers involved in the melee. “We’re still investigating the sequence of how it occurred. We believe it is going to be multiple, separate crashes.”

The coroner’s office on Wednesday identified the man pronounced dead at the scene as Orange resident Joel Navarro Hernandez, 55, Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Matthew Parrish said.

Approximately nine individuals reported injuries. Of those, five were transported to nearby hospitals for treatment, Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Battalion Chief Chris Coates confirmed Wednesday.

“With a complex scene, where the accident spanned approximately one-quarter of a mile, CMFR, with assistance from the Fountain Valley Fire Department, triaged victims and requested an appropriate amount of resources,” Coates said of the mass-casualty incident.

Site of chain reaction crashes reported at about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday on the southbound 405 Freeway in Costa Mesa.

(Bing Maps / Daily Pilot)

Rivera said officers initiated a full closure of all lanes, lasting until nearly 1 a.m., as investigators examined the scene. Because it was not immediately known which part of the collision had involved the fatality, each vehicle and every part on the road had to be meticulously documented.

Several witnesses reportedly saw the incident unfold, but due to the lateness of the hour, CHP investigators Wednesday morning were still attempting to sort out who saw what.

“The hard part is getting a hold of witnesses and seeing what their statements are, then matching it with what we think occurred,” Rivera said. “It’s just a big puzzle, and we’re trying to put it together.”