At least one person was killed Saturday when a Ford Mustang and a Ford SUV collided head-on on Ortega (74) Highway in Rancho Mission Viejo.
The crash occurred about 3 p.m. Saturday in the 35900 block of Ortega Highway, near Ronald W. Caspers Regional Park, according to the California Highway Patrol’s online log.
The impact sent the white Ford Explorer about 15 feet down the westbound embankment while the gray Mustang came to rest in lanes, officials said.
It appeared the fatality or fatalities occurred at Mission Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo because the Orange County coroner’s office was not called to the scene and an officer planned to follow up the investigation at that hospital.
Orange County Animal Control was summoned to the scene to pick up a small dog that was in one of the vehicles, the CHP stated.
Lanes on both sides of the highway were shut down at 3:17 p.m. and reopened at 4:40 p.m.