3 dead as car smashes into construction equipment

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) — A car smashed into construction equipment in Newport Beach early Thursday, killing three people inside and injuring three workers, police said.

The crash at about 12:45 a.m. occurred on the Pacific Coast Highway when the car struck a curb and then slammed into the roadwork equipment, police said.

The crash involved a Tesla Model S, which was equipped with a system that issues audible and visual warnings and can reduce speed and apply the brakes if it detects a risk of a frontal collision, the Orange County Register reported.

Two men and a woman were found dead in the car. The Orange County coroner’s office identified them as Wayne Walter Swanson Jr., 40, of Newport Beach; 34-year-old Crystal McCallum, of Texas and Andrew James Chaves, 32, of Arizona.

Three construction workers were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, police said.

The cause of the crash was under investigation.