Woman, Mercedes Go Off Road at Bridge

Friday was not an easy day on drivers in Rancho Santa Margarita. There were five traffic accidents, including one in which a driver went off Santa Margarita Parkway at the bridge.

Fortunately, tragedy was avoided as a woman heading northbound apparently lost control of her white Mercedes Benz, which went off the road to the right, according to the blotter of the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

When deputies arrived, the woman was climbing up the embankment and said she was OK. The vehicle went about 60 feet down the hillside.

It took about 90 minutes for the accident, which occured at about 1:21 p.m., to be cleared.

In another incident, four teenagers were in a Honda Accord that knocked over a light pole at Oso Parkway and the 241 toll road at about 11:22 p.m.

Other accidents occurred in front of Melinda Heights Elementary, at Alma Aldea and Bienvenidos, and in the parking lot at Plaza Empresa.

These reports were culled from the Orange County Sheriff's website. Not all facts in each report are made public; the outcome of the report may differ from the original blotter item. There should be no assumption of guilt based on this limited information.