Viper Hit Pole on PCH - no pics

I hate to say that I always gun it right where the right lane opens into two after the Porsche dealer. The right lane on that part of PCH is sketchy. Once you make it past the gas station where there is usually always people doing last minute turns, you go past the Porsche dealer then the lane splits.




http://dailypilot.com/articles/2006/12/12/publicsafety/dpt-fatal12.txt


"Authorities are investigating whether speeding caused a fatal traffic collision Sunday afternoon on Pacific Coast Highway west of Jamboree Road, Newport Beach police said Monday.

Driver Joseph Michael Silvia lost control, causing the car to collide with a light pole, killing him and hospitalizing passenger Matthew Biscan, police said. Speed appeared to be a factor, but Newport Beach Police Lt. Bill Hartford declined to say whether Silvia was driving faster than the limit.

The accident blocked traffic for 3½ hours on Pacific Coast Highway, Hartford said, especially noticeable with heavy traffic at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Police said Silvia, a 28-year-old Alta Loma resident, was driving a red Dodge Viper convertible eastbound on PCH between Promontory Point Drive and Jamboree Road when he lost control of the vehicle and smashed into the light pole. His passenger, 21-year-old Upland resident Biscan, suffered only minor injuries and was taken to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian for treatment.

Alcohol does not appear to have factored into the crash, Hartford said, adding the cause of the accident might not be discovered for some time."

 

PCH seems to be claiming more and more people's lives lately. My brother's friend was just killed near Neptune's Net, and my one of my father's secretaries was killed last night on PCH. I think I'll stay off the PCH for a while.

 

I never speed anymore on PCH. regardless of the car next to me, or as tempting as the scenery and roads get. There are cops everywhere, especially right there in newport, laguna and Main st in Huntington. Sad story.

 

It's not the road's fault. Still a great road, just use common sense, and you'll be alright.

 

RIP Joseph Michael Silvia.
If the accident happened south of Promontory Point Drive he had the entire hill to gain speed. It would be easy to hit 100+ mph there. Additionally, it gets slippery from the shade in the right lanes along there. The biggest factor could easily have been cold tires. The weather is cooling down so drive safe and warm those tires up before going fast.

 

My condolences to the family, and my thoughts go out to all involved. There were actually two accidents in that same area at midnight and noon. The Register article I saw mentioned that the road may have been damp during the time of the accidents. As Phil said, those lanes tend to be shaded and don't dry out nearly as quickly. Please be careful out there everybody.

 

PCH, whether you are on it in OC, Mailbu or in between, has way too many curves, dips and traffic for excess speed, especially in our high performance cars. And the road is often wet because it is on the coast. There have been way too many bad accidents on PCH, so it's time for all of us to slow down on this road!

 

Very Sad. Young guy we lost.....


http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1379531.php

http://www4.forum.viperclub.org/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=769636&an=0&page=0#Post769636

 

Very sorry to hear, that's just too bad ...

 

could be a combination of wreckless driving and the road, there is a small dip in the number 3 lane (if the number 1 lane is closest to the median) as you pass the entranceway to the porsche dealership (might be at the entranceway to the center with starbucks instead).
It is small but if you're going fast enough it could definitely upset the balance of the car

 

My condolences to the family. RIP.

But, The road is what it is. Thousands of people drove past that same spot without smashing into a light pole. Most of them in far less capable vehicles than a Viper. Their success indicates the road is not a factor.

 

Sad to hear about this tragedy.

But on the other hand, i'm sure wreckless driving must have played a major part. Many other drivers went through that stretch of road without incident. And seeing how smashed up the car is, it must have required fairly high speeds.

 

Ouch, kind of ironic that the sign he plows into shows a stop light. RIP, but this didn't need to happen.