Driver crashes into side of LRC
Thursday morning, a Saddleback College student accidentally crashed his brother’s car into the side of the Learning Resource Center.
Antonio Flores, 18, was running late for his class, and had stopped in a no parking zone in order to switch drivers with his older brother Daniel Flores, 19.
With one foot in the car and the other foot outside the door, Antonio realized that the car was moving and proceeded to step on the brake, but instead stepped on the gas and rammed into the LRC.
The Flores brothers had to shift the car into neutral and push the car back into the no parking zone.
“These things are going to happen,” said Daniel Flores, owner of the vehicle. “He barely has his license.”
The collision caused the LRC’s entryway door frame to detach from the floor and heave towards the inside of the building.
Maintenance workers used hooks attached to a truck to pull the door frame out for temporary repair. The outside wall has fissures extending above the reinforcements. An estimate of the cost of repair is unavailable at the moment.
Antonio left the scene in order to get to his class on time, and asked his brother, Daniel, to take care of the situation.
“It was an accident. I didn’t know.” Antonio Flores said.
The campus police arrived at the crash site shortly after and began to question Daniel, the vehicle’s registered owner, while waiting for Antonio to be called out of class. Antonio and Daniel were told by Officer Steve Weible the college’s insurance would contact them.
“Hopefully insurance will pay for it, but it’s OK. We got jobs.” Daniel said.
Daniel Flores was given a traffic citation for parking in a no parking zone.
“Stopping in a non parking zone to get to class is not permitted and a ticket must be issued,” Weible explained.
The damaged entryway has been padlocked until further repair can be made.
Damage to Daniel Flores vehicle. (Elizabeth Ortiz)
The Flores brothers discuss the damage. (Elizabeth Ortiz)
Trash Can after car collides into LRC (Kristen Wilcox)
Police Officer talks to driver of vehicles brother. (Kristen Wilcox)
Dislocated door frame in the LRC. (Kristen Wilcox)