Several hospitalized after a.m. collision with wrong-way driver, possible DUI suspect in Costa Mesa

Several motorists were hospitalized on Monday after a wrong-way driver on Newport Boulevard in Costa Mesa collided with multiple vehicles near the street’s busy intersection with East 19th Street at around 10:47 a.m. in a suspected felony DUI incident.

Roxi Fyad, spokeswoman for the Costa Mesa Police Department, said at least four victims, one of them a minor, were taken to nearby hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries sustained during the collision.

Suspect Fernando Rodriguez Rabago, 24, was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI after being transported to an area hospital facility, Fyad confirmed. His last known address is a residence in Whittier.

The incident prompted a SigAlert bulletin, as lanes near the busy intersection were temporarily closed to allow for the extrication and transportation of injured motorists, vehicle towing and cleanup of the immediate vicinity.

A southbound left-hand turn lane on Newport Boulevard used to access 19th Street — where wrecked cars were still being cleared at around 11:30 — was blocked by police motorcycles, causing traffic on Newport to back up to the 55 Freeway.

Fyad confirmed the suspect was seen by witnesses prior to the accident driving south in the northbound lanes of Newport Boulevard and said the driver may have been driving under the influence.

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