The Costa Mesa man that died early Wednesday morning after a vehicle struck him while he was walking along Newport Boulevard has been identified by authorities.
Darin Wells, 44, died around 3 a.m. after he was struck by an auto while crossing the street, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Coroner’s Office.
He was on Newport Boulevard, just south of Industrial Way, when the southbound black Audi A3 sedan struck him, Newport Beach Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella wrote in a press release.
“It appears that the pedestrian was in the street immediately prior to the collision,” Manzella said later. “His exact location (inside or outside of a crosswalk) will be determined through the course of the investigation.”
Wells suffered life-threatening injuries during the collision and was pronounced deceased at the scene, according to police.
The woman driving the Audi stayed at the scene and was cooperating with police, Manzella explained in the press release. She was not arrested and did not require medical attention.
It does not appear that drugs or alcohol were involved on the driver’s part, Manzella said. For the deceased, police will have to wait for screening by the coroner, she added.
Newport Beach police were alerted to the collision around 3 a.m. by the Costa Mesa Police Department.
Police sent out a Nixle alert around 3:40 a.m. warning subscribers that all southbound lanes of Newport Boulevard between Industrial Way and Hospital Road were closed due to a traffic accident. An updated message later notified readers that lanes would reopen no later than 7:30 a.m.
It is an ongoing investigation.
Police are asking anyone with information regarding this collision to contact Investigator Scott Grecco at (949) 644-3747 or [email protected].
