"We were sitting up there and there were two vehicles in front of us and next thing you know that car was coming at us and it was in the air," said Sam Schudi, who witnessed the crash.
West Coast Highway was closed for several hours.
The cause of the accident was under investigation.
"It appears to be an extremely violent traffic collision," said Lt. Bill Hartford of the Newport Beach Police Department. "Right now our traffic investigators are determining such factors as speed, trying to get information from witnesses as well as looking at the physical evidence that's involved."
