Oso Pkwy. Crash Kills Costa Mesa Man

A 23-year-old Costa Mesa man died Monday shortly after an early morning automobile crash near the end of Oso Parkway, according to authorities.

Everado Arteaga-Barcanas of Costa Mesa was identified by the Orange County coroner as the sole occupant of a 1998 Honda that crashed into a chain-link fence at 5 a.m. The California Highway Patrol originally reported that Barcanas was a resident of Rancho Santa Margarita.

Barcanas was taken to Mission Hospital, and was pronounced dead at 5:50 a.m.

According to CHP officer Chris Goodwin, Barcanas' vehicle was headed east on Oso Parkway when he veered right onto the sidewalk, hit a pedestrian signal pole, and struck a chain link fence before bouncing back into traffic lanes.

There were no other vehicles involved.

The crash site didn't appear to have any tire marks that indicated Barcanas had braked hard prior to the crash. 

The driver was alone and no other vehicles were involved, Goodwin said.

Police aren't sure why the driver crashed.

"We're trying to figure that out," Goodwin said.

The eastbound stretch of the four-lane road—two lanes each way—is on a downhill grade in which the speed limit is 55 mph.

The car appeared to go onto the sidewalk as it reached Bridle Path, a T intersection that leads most notably to the school on the corner. It hit the chain link fence, a small area about 20 feet long that envelopes a gate to a Riley Wilderness Park trail. A warning sign for mountain lions is nearby.

The car rotated more than 90 degrees after hitting the fence so that it almost faced oncoming traffic.

Coroner investigator Kelly Keyes said that her office determined Barcanas' city of residence after talking to his family.

The highway patrol would like any witnesses to the crash to contact it at (949) 487-4000.