Man dies after car hits center divider

An early-morning crash on the 73 Toll Road in Costa Mesa on Thursday claimed the life of one man after the car in which he was a passenger struck the road’s center divider head-on, authorities said.

At 6:05 a.m., the driver of a 1991 Toyota was transitioning from the southbound I-405 along a curve onto the southbound 73 when the car skidded into the cement divider, California Highway Patrol Officer Steve Ramos said.

Ramos said the reason the vehicle hit the divider is unknown, but added the road curve could have been a factor.

The two men inside the vehicle were taken to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana, Ramos said.

The passenger, a 32-year-old man from Hawthorne, died at the hospital. The driver, a 25-year-old Inglewood resident, sustained serious injuries, Ramos said.

Investigators have yet to determine which lane the vehicle was in and at what speed, Ramos said.

Both men were wearing seat belts at the time of impact, but the vehicle did not have any air bags, Ramos said.

The identities of both men have not been released pending notification of family members.

— Kelly Strodl