Crash injures three

A car crash near Mariners Elementary School sent three people to the hospital, authorities said.

Two people were sent to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana and one was sent to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, said Newport Beach Fire Department spokeswoman Jennifer Schulz.

At about 2:30 p.m., a car was speeding southwest down Mariners Drive toward Dover Drive when it didn’t stop and slammed straight into the back of a Jeep, sending both careening through intersections toward Mariners Park, witness Victoria Herman said.

“It was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen,” Herman said. “It was really, really loud. It was a huge crash.”

Herman saw the car pass her in the opposite direction.

“It was flying down the street,” she said.

When she looked in her rearview mirror, she saw the car crash into the back of the Jeep, sending it two stop signs down and onto the park’s grass. She said a little girl, no older than 5 years old, was in the back seat when it was hit.

Newport Beach police did not have detailed information about the accident as of Thursday evening.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at [email protected].