Cops release name of man killed in crash

Police Thursday identified the Costa Mesa man who was killed late Tuesday when he was broadsided by an allegedly drunk driver, police said.

Joseph Suhesky, 73, was driving a blue 1992 Chevrolet Cavalier when he tried make a left turn from Fairview Road onto Paularino Avenue and was hit by a black SUV traveling north on Fairview at 7:19 p.m., police said.

Suhesky was taken to Hoag Hospital where he died of his injuries, police said.

Police arrested the driver of the SUV, Pedro Lopez, 62, of Santa Ana, on suspicion of drunk driving. The Orange County District Attorney’s office had not filed charges against Lopez as of late Thursday.

A witness said one of the vehicles flew through the air, according to Costa Mesa Sgt. Marty Carver. Lopez’s vehicle slid on two wheels and struck a utility pole, before coming to rest on all four tires, Carver said.

The intersection of Fairview and Paularino is regulated by a traffic signal. This year, there have been six accidents at that intersection, three of them resulting in injuries, Carver said.