Two people had a “miraculous” escape from a one-car crash on an Orange County road with parts of their SUV overturned early Sunday, according to the Newport Beach Fire Department.
The driver and passenger “extricated themselves” from the vehicle and were sitting on the curb on Jamboree Road – not far from the Palisades Tennis Club – when emergency crews arrived around 1 a.m., officials said.
A preliminary investigation revealed that their vehicle hit “severely damaged” two power poles and collided with a tree before coming to a stop on the southbound lanes, fire officials wrote on social media.
Part of the SUV's engine, which was knocked loose, caught fire 20 meters from the rest of the vehicle, and was extinguished, the Department said. One of the front tires was found inside the tennis club, it said.
The driver and passenger were taken to the hospital in “stable condition,” officials said.
Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the crash, they said.
In its Instagram post, the fire department wrote that “traffic accidents tend to increase during the busy holiday season,” and urged drivers to be careful.
“Please slow down, focus and drive the right way,” the door sign reads. “Let's work together to keep our roads safe for everyone this holiday season.”
Officials did not respond to a request for more information about Sunday's incident.
