Earlier today, there was a pretty big accident in front of the bank and though no one inside saw it, but by viewing the aftermath, we knew it had to be pretty bad - there had to be half a dozen police cars, a few ambulances, and a couple fire engines. Here's the breaking news:

SANTA ANA — A three-vehicle collision left one man dead today and two children hospitalized, police said.

Police were called to 17th and Mabury streets at 2:55 p.m. after the collision of two cars and a van, Santa Ana Sgt. Lorenzo Carrillo said.

The man who died was in one of the cars, Carrillo said, while the children were in the van with other family members.

The children’s injuries did not appear to be critical. They were taken to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana as a precaution, Carrillo said.

The cause of the collision, which occurred at an intersection that has no traffic light or stop sign, was under investigation, Carrillo said.

The two cars had single occupants, Carrillo said.

I always understand that at any time some idiot could turn in front of me (as someone almost did today - luckily he stopped in time (as I slammed on my brakes too)), but when you actually see an accident (or at least the aftermath) in which someone died - someone just trying to make a left turn, probably heading home from the grocery store - it just hits you a bit harder.

And for the curious, here's a link to the Google Satellite Map of the location: Map. The intersection directly to the left of the red marker is where it happened.

URL: Man killed in Santa Ana crash