The woman who died after a car struck her while walking her dog at Mesa Drive and Irvine Avenue, Newport Beach, California, has been identified. Updated accident reports released on Wednesday, September 9th, disclosed the victim’s name as Cleusa M. Coffman, 72.
The accident happened on Sunday morning, September 6th, at about 6:53 a.m. According to the California Highway Patrol, Coffman was walking her dog through the intersection in a crosswalk when a car heading south on Irvine struck the two.
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The woman and the dog died at the crash site. The driver, who the Newport Beach Police later identified as Ali Zohar Fakhreddine, 31, allegedly ran a red light. The driver fled the scene in his 2014 Hyundai vehicle, and the police located him about three hours later.
The investigators said that the suspect’s vehicle had damages consistent with the accident. They arrested him on suspicion of DUI and hit-and-run. The investigation is ongoing.
Auto-pedestrian accidents are one of the leading causes of crash-related deaths in California and the United States. While the fault often lies with drivers, pedestrians also play a role in collisions, and the two must work together to avoid severe or fatal consequences that ensue.
Pedestrians should wear bright colors and use flashlights at night for visibility, cross within crosswalks, avoid dangerous road behaviors like jaywalking, and look left-right-left before crossing. Drivers should maintain the speed limit, stop at crosswalks, and yield the way to pedestrians.
Disclaimer: The Safety Watch article you just read includes information obtained from numerous sources. These sources include, but are not limited to, websites and press releases from law enforcement, the county coroner, fire departments, and other news outlets. While we strive to provide readers with the most accurate information, sometimes the information received is not entirely accurate. For complete details, please refer to an official police report.
The articles published contain sensitive subject matter that may be hard to read by some. We understand that losing a loved one is hard and devastating. Safety Watch’s decision to share the stories is to help others who may be facing the same situations by providing appropriate resources to the general public.