CHP probes accident

California Highway Patrol investigators are considering whether a fiery crash that ended with a car upside down on the Newport Beach Golf Course was caused by road rage, officials said Wednesday.

"It sounds like something [between the drivers] escalated," said Jen Hink, a CHP spokeswoman.

On Tuesday it appeared to investigators that the driver of the 2000 blue Ford Mustang that careened off Bristol Street in Newport Beach lost control of his car after a collision. But investigators had a clearer picture Wednesday of what happened and also clarified that the cars were not exiting the southbound 73 Freeway.

The drivers' accounts conflict, Hink said, and the investigating officer is still talking to multiple witnesses.

What is clear is that the Mustang and Taurus collided on Bristol as they approached the Irvine Avenue/Campus Drive intersection during the evening rush hour.

The Mustang's driver, Robert A. Helmer of Costa Mesa, claimed the Taurus' driver was chasing him.

"You know when you're driving and you do something that [ticks] off another driver without you knowing," Helmer said as he speculated what could have prompted the conflict.

After both drivers passed a bus, with the Mustang passing on the right and the Taurus on the left, Helmer claimed the Taurus swerved into him, sending the Mustang onto the golf course where it rolled over at least twice, he said.

"It was actually a surreal experience," Helmer said.

Helmer said he hurt his lower back, and his wifesuffered a small fracture to the top of her vertebrae.

The driver of the Taurus, Charles Johnson of Irvine, avoided injury.

Attempts to contact Johnson Wednesday were unsuccessful, but his account of what happened to CHP Officer S.M. Moorhouse Tuesday was far different than Helmer's.

"I don't know what was going through his head," Johnson could be heard telling Moorhouse, claiming Helmer swerved into him.

No one has been cited as of Wednesday. The CHP is still investigating the matter.