Rain leads to at least five accidents in Costa Mesa

The massive storm pummeling Orange County is being blamed for at least five car crashes in Costa Mesa and traffic delays in Newport Beach.

Costa Mesa firefighters used the Jaws of Life to rescue a trapped driver who was involved in a three-car crash around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The wreck on Fairview Road, just south of the 405 Freeway, was the fifth rain-related traffic collision authorities responded to that morning, Battalion Chief Tim Vasin said.

Crews cut into a gray sedan to extricate the driver, who was pinned after a taxi smashed into the car’s side, according to authorities.

“We took the door off,” Vasin said, adding that the rescue took about 12 minutes.

The force of the crash also pushed the sedan into the side of a white minivan, Vasin said.

Paramedics took the sedan’s driver, who had non-life-threatening injuries, to a local trauma center, according to the Fire Department.

The taxi’s driver also was injured, but declined to be taken to a hospital, Vasin said.

Nobody in the minivan was hurt.

Costa Mesa’s rash of rain-related collisions included a two-car crash at Newport Boulevard and Wilson Street around 9:30 a.m., Vasin said.

That wreck sent two people to nearby hospitals and hurt a third, but none of the injuries was life-threatening, officials said.

Newport Beach had not reported major problems by Tuesday afternoon, though there was a power outage in the morning near Tustin and Superior avenues led to major traffic delays on Coast Highway.

Heavy rains always bring concerns about flooding, particularly on the islands and the Peninsula.

As a precaution, the city of Newport Beach was handing out free sandbags until 3 p.m. at the city corporation yard, 592 Superior Ave.

Costa Mesa residents were able to pick up sandbags at the Placentia Fire Station, 2300 Placentia Ave.

The Costa Mesa Fire Department also said it will staff its urban search and rescue team for 24 consecutive hours.

“We don’t anticipate any major problems, but we want to be ready just in case,” City CEO Tom Hatch said.

Crews from the city’s Public Services Department have cleared storm-drain catch basins to reduce potential flooding.

The current storm is the biggest of the rain season, which began July 1, said NWS senior forecaster Andrew Rorke.

“It’s just a big ol’ storm,” he said. “The entire state is going to be covered with rain today.”

Forecasters expect 4 inches of rain could pour down on Orange County’s coastal mountains, Rorke said.

The potential for problems is compounded because it just rained over the weekend, officials said.

Though that storm was smaller, it was big enough to trigger a rock slide that closed Pacific Coast Highway, north of Malibu, for the first half of the week.

“The problem is, it’s only two days after we’ve had a pretty good storm,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Kathy Hoxsie. “When you don’t give the soil a chance to dry out, we’re expecting it could be a very notable impact.”

Los Angeles Times staff writer Joseph Serna contributed to this report.