A man driving his 2011 Porsche Turbo Cabriolet opened his door today after parking in the 3300 block of East Coast Highway — just as a delivery truck drove past, tearing the door away from the car, witnesses and others said.
The incident occurred about 2:15 today when David Earl Hartman Sr. of Newport Beach opened his door just as a wine delivery service driver, who gave his name only as Sean, drove past.
Hartman said the truck driver was “coming real fast.”
“He came so close, I literally had nowhere to go,” he said.
The driver said the car door flung open suddenly against his truck, and he didn’t have a chance to stop the accident.
Witnesses said the truck driver stopped immediately after the incident.
“He (the Porsche driver) was getting out of the car, swinging his door open,” said one Corona del Mar man, who said he witnessed the entire incident and called police.
Police gave Hartman a ticket. Hartman said the officer told him, “You’re at fault, just sit there.”
Traffic was backed up northbound on Coast Highway to the Cameo neighborhoods as a tow truck began to remove the damaged Porsche. The car door and glass littered the traffic lane as officers took reports.
Hartman said the car was about eight months old and worth $185,000. No damage estimate was immediately available.
Sgt. Steve Burdette, a Newport Beach Police Department spokesman, did not offer details of the incident because he had not seen a report or talked to the investigating officers.
Both drivers said they were not injured in the incident.
Top photo courtesy of Corona del Mar Today reader Dan.
