The man killed in a traffic collision on East Coast Highway Wednesday morning has been identified, according to authorities.
Steve Needis, 58, of Costa Mesa died Wednesday at 7:58 a.m. at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Coroner’s Office.
Calls of a collision near PCH and Promontory Point Drive came in around 6:54 a.m. Wednesday, according Newport Beach Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella.
The two-vehicle crash involved a black Nissan Maxima sedan and a green Nissan Quest minivan.
“The Maxima struck a pole during the collision and the male driver sustained major injuries,” according to a statement NBPD released on Wednesday afternoon.
Police and NB Fire Department units responded.
The Jaws of Life were used to extricate Needis from the vehicle, according to a NBFD statement from Captain Mike Liberto.
“The patient was extricated and transported within 15 minutes of the arrival of fire department units,” he explained.
He was transported to the hospital in critical condition.
Another patient was assessed and released at the scene, Liberto added.
The collision impacted traffic on PCH between Bayside Drive and Jamboree Road for several hours. Newport Beach police sent out a community message at 7:50 a.m. warning drivers to avoid the area.
It is an ongoing investigation.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact investigator Scott Grecco at (949) 644-3747 or sgrecco@nbpd.org.
For more information from the fire department, call (949) 644-3111.
