Crime & Safety
Witness Describes Accident Scene at Parking Lot Death
It was a weekend of senseless deaths in and around San Clemente.
It seemed to be a weekend of senseless deaths, first a man gets struck by a truck in the Ralphs parking lot on El Camino Real, then a four-car accident claims two lives on Pacific Coast Highway just north of San Clemente.
San Clemente resident Starr Bales was on scene when 46-year-old Paul Michelena was struck by a pick-up.
“I was walking towards the front doors. I didn’t see him get hit. I heard blood curdling screams. I turned around to see what appeared to be poor man on the ground under the truck,” Bales said.
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According to authorities, Michelena was walking with his 13-year-old daughter, who was not injured in the incident.
Bales knew it was bad when a passerby-turned-rescuer who seemed to be a firefighter asked if anyone had a jack.
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“I realized that it was on his head. I almost vomited,” she said. “It was gut-wrenching. The man never showed any movement.”
In Sunday’s accident, authorities believe a couple in a white Jetta may have tried to pass a slower vehicle on Pacific Coast Highway. The 43-year-old man and 32-year-old woman who perished have yet to be identified.
Three others were taken to Mission Hospital and a student driver suffered only minor injuries and was released to his parents.
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