San Diego Car Accident Lawyer Blog

San Diego police reported earlier today that a bicyclist riding along Balboa Avenue near Charger Boulevard in the Clairemont neighborhood of San Diego was struck by a car driven under the influence of drugs. The car driver had a suspended license from a previous DUI. Yet, because of his lack of thoughtfulness, he seriously injured the bicyclist and sent to him to the hospital. The driver was also sent to the hospital with a front chipped tooth and a cut on his forehead. You can read more about this San Diego bicycle accident in this SignOnSanDiego.com story.

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California Vehicle Code Section 23152 states that "it is unlawful for any person who is under the influence of an alcoholic beverage or drug, to drive a vehicle." The California Vehicle Code also states that it is unlawful for a person to drive a motor vehicle if they are addicted to any drugs unless they are participating in a narcotic treatment program. The consequences of driving under the influence of drugs are very similar to that of a driving under the influence of alcohol charge.

Continue reading " Bicyclist Seriously Injured in San Diego DUI Car Accident " »

Yesterday we posted this article about a Ramona car accident that was caused by two racing cars. Alexandra Drake was taken to Palomar Hospital after the auto accident where she fought for her life until she passed away. The 25-year-old mother left her 4 week baby, Jayden, behind. Jayden survived the crash without any serious injuries thanks to Drake's responsible care of correctly securing Jayden in a child's seat. You can read more about this car crash and Drake's tragic death in this 10news.com story.

Alexandra Drake's mother saw the auto accident from her rear view mirror as she drove in front of Drake at the time of the crash. Yesterday, we wrote that a gold Jaguar was racing a white Mercedes. However, a California Highway Patrol spokesperson has since confirmed that the Mercedes was actually a BMW. California Highway Patrol officials are still looking for information about the car wreck and are searching for the driver of the BMW. If you have any information, please contact them.

Continue reading " Alexandra Drake Identified as Mother Killed in Ramona Street Racing Car Accident " »

A 26-year-old mother is in critical condition after being involved in a multiple-vehicle San Diego County auto accident on SR67 near Quail Rock Road near Rosemont. The California Highway Patrol said that the woman was driving a Volvo at about 11:15 a.m. when a tan Jaguar convertible speeding northbound crossed the double yellow line into oncoming traffic, causing the serious car crash. The Jaguar was racing a white Mercedes, which did not stop. You can read more about this San Diego car accident in this SignOnSanDiego.com story.

The woman driving the Volvo had her 3 month old baby strapped into a car seat in the back. The baby suffered no injuries but was taken to the hospital just to make sure that everything was well. The mother was taken to the hospital along with two other people, including the driver of the Jaguar. San Diego County officials are still searching for the driver of the Mercedes.

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Continue reading " Mother in Critical Condition After Multiple Vehicle San Diego Car Accident on SR-67 " »

Michael Lee Moser, 54, was struck and killed in an El Cajon pedestrian accident by a pickup truck as he was crossing Jamacha Road, just north of Granite Hills Drive in El Cajon, California. According to the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office, Moser was not in a crosswalk when he was hit at about 8:15 p.m. this past Saturday. You can read more about this El Cajon car accident in this 10news.com story.

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The driver of the pickup truck called 911. Unfortunately, Michael Lee Moser, well known by friends and family in El Cajon and Lakeside, was killed at the scene.

Continue reading " El Cajon Pedestrian Accident Claims Life " »

A temporary roundabout has been placed at the strange, three way intersection of Pomona Avenue, Adella Avenue, and Seventh Street in Coronado. This odd Coronado intersection is regularly used by San Diego car drivers and local Coronado children on their way to and from school. A Coronado grandmother, Jennifer Luther, lives near the intersection and agrees that the intersection needed a self-regulating traffic circle.

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The traffic circle was finished on March 11, but previous to this, Luther says that people had to accelerate onto Pomona Avenue from Adella Avenue and Seventh Street. After persistent pleas from residents, the Coronado City Council agreed to place a temporary roundabout and to study the traffic patterns of the 10,000 motor vehicles that use the intersection on a daily basis as well as Coronado pedestrian and bicycle activity. You can read more about this story in this SignOnSanDiego.com story.

Coronado is not the only city that is thinking of implementing roundabouts. Oceanside and Solana Beach are also pondering the idea of placing roundabouts at busy intersection. In San Diego, roundabouts have already been placed in Bird Rock on La Jolla Avenue, and a resident in the Ocean Beach neighborhood of San Diego is pushing for one there.

Continue reading " Coronado Roundabout May Reduce Possibility Of Car Accidents " »

The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office reported that Raymundo-Ambrosio Vasquez, from Vista, California, was apparently standing outside of his Toyota Tercel with the door open on an I-15 accelerator ramp, just north of Poway Road, when he was struck and killed in a San Diego car accident on Wednesday morning by an Acura entering the ramp. You can read more in this SignOnSanDiego.com story.


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Ambrosio-Vasquez, 53, was apparently by himself and there are no witnesses to say why he was stopped.

The driver of the Acura called 911, but when San Diego first responders came to the scene, Ambrosio-Vasquez was already dead. The San Diego County medical Examiner's Office has an autopsy scheduled for today.

The driver of the Acura was not arrested, and the investigation is underway.

Continue reading " Vista Man Killed After Being Hit by Car on I-15 Ramp " »

Luis Pena, an ex border patrol agent, does not remember what happened a year and a half ago when his truck rolled over one night while he was on duty. What Pena does know is that he is lucky to have survived what he sees in the photos that were taken of his truck following his San Diego County rollover accident. You can read more about this personal injury story in this 10news.com story.

The roof of his truck collapsed, dislocating his C6 and C7 vertebrae and dragging the spinal cord with it. This caused a tear and a pinch on the cord, which in turn created a quadriplegic, ending his life as a firefighter, police officer, and martial arts instructor. Pena is not able to move 80% of his body but has regained some arm and wrist movement since his San Diego car accident.

Pena likes to have a smile on his face even though he is in constant pain. He knows that being a quadriplegic has not stopped him from being a father, a husband, and a counselor for people in San Diego who want to talk about issues. This is all hard to do with his constant pain, but he fights on.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that about 10,000 deaths a year happen from rollover accidents. Although rollover accidents are only about 3% of the accidents, about 60% of rollover accidents involve SUVs. San Diego officials and throughout the country argue that if roofs were made stronger then this would happen much less.

Continue reading " Weak Car Roofs Lead To San Diego Car Accident Deaths " »

Every year there are a sizeable number of San Diego commercial truck accidents. Due to the size and mass of these vehicles, trucking accidents tend to be more violent and more apt to cause serious injuries and death due to the truck driver's negligence.

It is not surprising that one of the largest factors in preventing trucking accidents is the adoption of a "safety culture" by the trucking company. Recently, the Transporation Research Board published a study entitled called "The Role of Safety Culture in Preventing Commercial Motor Vehicle Crashes". You can download a .pdf copy of the study here.

Amongst the study's findings are:

• Culture and safety have a clear connection. • Safety culture is best defined by an organization’s norms, attitudes, values, and beliefs regarding safety. • Effective top to bottom safety communication enhance safety culture. • Terms such as “accident” and “mishap” are often replaced with the terms “crash,” “wreck,” and other more appropriate, straightforward terms in many safe cultures. • Recognition for safe behavior is an effective component of safety culture. • Driver experience enhances a safety culture • Many levels of communicating safety culture are necessary

The report also recommends trucking companies take the following actions:

• Develop internal definitions of culture and safety. • Determine what omissions in the management system contribute to accidents. • Identify and dispel myths, such as the tendency to always blame weather or outside factors. • Conduct institutional safety knowledge development. • Define or redefine employee safety roles from top to bottom • Assess the effectiveness of safety communication and reengineer systems of safety communication. • Create or enhance a system of safety record data collection and analysis. • Develop or redevelop motivational tools, such as tying driver compensation and advancement to safety. • Improve driver retention.

Continue reading " San Diego Commercial Trucking Accidents Could Be Prevented By Adopting "Safety Culture" " »

Falling asleep at the wheel is just as serious of a problem as drunk driving here in San Diego County. Just this past Sunday, March 22, a driver fell asleep at the wheel of a Toyota Tundra, which went on to roll down a steep ravine off of I-15, near Fallbrook. The truck was carrying two other passengers. The front seat passenger, identified as Oscar Sandoval Jimenez, 23, of Moreno Valley, Riverside County, was thrown from the front seat and died at the scene. The driver and the second passenger were taken to the hospital for treatment of their injuries. You can read more about this Fallbrook car accident in this SignOnSanDiego.com story.

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The three individuals involved in this San Diego County auto accident were driving at around 3:15 a.m., which is a time when most San Diegans are asleep. According to a report released by the Insurance Bureau of Canada a driver who has not slept in 24 hours is as impaired to drive a vehicle as someone with an alcohol level of .1%. The Bureau's report also shows that the people most affected by fatigue at the wheel are young men, new/young drivers, workers with shift or split-shifts, people with sleep disorders, and of course people who's lifestyle does not allow them to sleep enough.

Continue reading " Oscar Sandoval Jimenez Killee in I-15 Car Accident Near Fallbrook " »

On March 22, Leslie Foster of the Valley Center area of San Diego County was killed when her Toyota Rav-4 was clipped by Alberto Allari, an Italian tourist. The car accident happened on Interstate 5 near Camp Pendleton in Oceanside. You can read more about the auto accident in this North County Times story.

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Foster and her husband were returning from a concert in Anaheim when the car crash occurred. The impact caused their Rav-4 to skid off the freeway and roll numerous times down the side of the hill. William Foster, her husband, sustained serious injuries as well and was life-flighted in a helicopter to a local hospital.

Continue reading " Valley Center Woman Killed in Oceanside Car Accident " »

On March 19, we posted this story about a Carlsbad car accident that happened just off of interstate 5 where a 1996 Toyota Tacoma veered off the freeway and into the Agua Hedionda Lagoon. You can read more in this North County Times story.

The 27-year-old passenger, Amy Lopez of San Diego, died Friday at the Tri-City Medical Center, where she had been on a ventilater since Wednesday. According to the San Diego County medical examiner's office, Lopez was pulled out of the lagoon unconscious while the 22-year-old driver, Alicia Biggs, was able to swim out.

The California Highway Patrol said that the accident had been alcohol related and that Biggs would probably face felony drunken driving charges.

Continue reading " Amy Lopez of San Diego Dies After Carlsbad Lagoon Car Accident " »

San Diego police reported that a motorcycle rider going northbound on the 4000 block of Fairmount Avenue was struck by a Dodge minivan and dragged a short distance. The San Diego car accident happened at about 2:15 p.m. Wednesday when the 69-year-old minivan driver turned left and ignored the 29-year-old motorcycle rider's right of way.

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According to San Diego police, the motorcycle rider laid down his bike and slid under the minivan fracturing his pelvis. The motorcyclist was then taken to the hospital by San Diego authorities.

Continue reading " San Diego Motorcycle Rider Struck by Minivan " »

A speeding truck going 96 mph and headed north on I-5, drove into a Carlsbad lagoon this morning. The 22-year-old driver swam to shore and was later arrested by California Highway Patrol for driving under the influence. You can learn more about this Carlsbad car accident in this San Diego Fox 6 story.

The truck was also carrying another young female in her 20s that was sitting in the passenger seat. She was thrown out of the truck when it wen through the guardrail and into the lagoon. The passenger was found unconscious and floating in the water by San Diego officials. She was taken to the hospital but there have been no reports on her condition.

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Driving under the influence in San Diego County is not something you ever want to do, especially when carrying a passenger. It is bad enough that the driver placed her own life in danger but in this case she placed the life of her passenger in danger as well. We hope that the passenger will survive without any major injuries so that the guilt of this crash doesn't linger in the life of the driver.

If you or a friend have ever been injured in a San Diego DUI accident, please contact the drunk driving accident attorneys at the Jurewitz Law Group at 619-233-5020 or contact them online here.

A 27-year-old pregnant woman was hospitalized after she caused an Escondido car crash near the San Diego Wild Animal Park on San Pasqual Road on March 11. The car accident occurred because she was tired and falling asleep at the wheel when she drifted into the oncoming eastbound traffic, colliding head-on with a Ford F-350 pick-up truck. You can read more about this car wreck in this 10news.com story.

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San Diego County officials said that the 27-week pregnant driver suffered a compound fracture of one of her legs, but no other injuries were reported.

Continue reading " Pregnant Woman Hospitalized After Escondido Car Accident " »

According to a report by CBS8.com, just before 5 p.m. on March 12, an SUV overturned and slammed into a motorcycle on Highway 163 near the State Route 52 in San Diego. The driver of the SUV was thrown into the northbound lanes of the freeway and the motorcycle burst into flames. A pick-up truck was also involved in the San Diego car crash.

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The California Highway Patrol was not able to report on the extent of the injuries involved in this car accident/motorcycle accident and traffic continued to be slow into the night.

Just like in the Oceanside multiple vehicle car accident yesterday, this San Diego car accident happened during commuting hours. The importance of staying alert and cautious during this busy time on the roads cannot be stressed enough.

If you or a fellow commuter are ever injured or killed in a San Diego car wreck, please call the San Diego car accident attorneys at the Jurewitz Law Group at 619-233-5020 or contact them online.

On March 12, a bit before 7:30 a.m., there was an Oceanside multi-vehicle car crash on I-5 near the 76 freeway. An Oceanside Fire Department dispatcher said that one person was seriously injured and was taken to the hospital. Another person was rumored to have been trapped but that was never confirmed. You can read more about this serious car wreck here and here.

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As many as six vehicles may have been involved in this Oceanside car accident.

Continue reading " Oceanside Multiple Vehicle Car Crash Leaves One Person Seriously Injured " »

A red 2004 Ferrari Modena came to a violent car crash with a light pole in Newport Beach this past week. NBC news reports that the driver of the Ferrari may have been Charles Lewis Jr., owner of TapouT clothing line.

A police officer was going north on Jamboree when he noticed the Ferrari and a white 1977 Porsche swerving out of control. The police officer believes that he caught the end of a car race on southbound Jamboree Road near Camelback Street. The Porsche kept driving when the Ferrari struck the pole but was later spotted at Bison Avenue, west of Jamboree Road. Jeffrey David Kirby, 51, of Costa Mesa and Lynne Marie Nabozny, 32, of Newport Beach were seen walking away from the Porsche and were arrested.

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A woman thrown from the red Ferrari was sent to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana. Her identity has not been confirmed.

Continue reading " Owner of TapouT Clothing Believed to Be Killed in Newport Beach Car Accident " »

Aram Gorgees, a 7-year-old boy, was killed in a El Cajon car crash when the car he was riding in was t-boned by another car. According to the San Diego Medical Examiner's Office, Aram was taken to Rady Children's Hospital, but, unfortunately, died an hour after arrival.

The young boy was one of four passengers in the car that was struck when coming out of a strip mall on Jamacha Road in El Cajon. According to El Cajon authorities, Aram was one of three people injured in the crash.

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Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Gorgees family. It is unfortunate that we have lost another San Diego child in a senseless and careless car accident. We know that there is nothing that can replace a child lost at such an early age. However, it is comforting to believe and know that he will be remembered fondly by his loved ones.

Continue reading " 7-Year-Old Boy Dies After El Cajon Car Accident " »

Yesterday, we posted a story about this unfortunate Pine Valley Car Crash in East County San Diego that came about by a bad lane change. The identities of the two women that were killed were not known at the time but the San Diego Union Tribune in a story found here revealed the car crash victims to be Glenda Ann Pinkham and Adelina Ortiz Burfield.

Pinkham was a 64-year-old riding in the 2001 maroon Nissan Altima with 69-year-old Adelina Ortiz Burfield as the driver. Both Pinkham and Burfield died at the scene of this San Diego car crash.

Continue reading " Glenda Ann Pinkham & Adelina Ortiz Burfield Identified As Women Killed in I-8 Pine Valley Car Crash In East San Diego County " »

Late on the afternoon of March 9, 2009, two women riding in a maroon 2001 Nissan Altima made an unsafe lane change on I-8 in East County San Diego and were struck by a grey Nissan Altima. The two women in the maroon car were in their sixties and were near the Golden Acorn Casino when this San Diego car accident took place. You can read more about the accident here.

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The driver of the gray car was a 44-year-old woman with a 41-year-old man and her 7-year-old son. All three of them were taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

The women in the maroon Nissan died at the scene and their identities have not yet been released.

Continue reading " Two Women Killed in I-8 Pine Valley Car Crash in East San Diego County " »

Impact Teen Drivers, a statewide California program to educate young drivers about the dangers of driving while not paying full attention to the road, had its first session at the East County San Diego school of Steele Canyon High yesterday in El Cajon. You can read more about the event here.

The program coincided with Teen Driving Safety Week and it is meant to prevent casualties that result from inexperienced drivers.

According to Brian Pennings of the California Highway Patrol, "Traffic collisions in our country take more than 5,000 teens' lives every single year." Pennings went on to say that countless studies have shown that teenager are more likely to fail in a deadly car accident than any other way.

The California Teacher's Association, the California Highway Patrol, and the California Casualty Insurance Association put on this collaborative effort to remind San Diego teens and other Californians of what family members and loved ones may suffer when such fatal car accidents happen.

Continue reading " San Diego Car Accident Education Program Brings Teen-Driving Message To East County " »

Late Friday night, George Peel Chandler, was killed in a San Diego car accident as he was coming out of Balboa Park in San Diego. A woman, going South along Sixth Avenue, ran a red light at Laurel Street and crashed into Chandler's Lexus. You can find out more about the accident here and CBS 8 news video is below.

The 73-year-old Chandler was sent to Scripps Mercy Hospital and was pronounced dead upon arrival. The woman driver was treated for minor injuries and has not been cited for the car wreck, but she may still face criminal charges.

Chandler was an admired member of the San Diego community. He headed the U.S. Small Business Administration's San Diego district office and had also worked for the military and for NASA. It is unfortunate that his life was cut short because of the other driver's bad decision or negligence by running a red light.

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Continue reading " George Peel Chandler Killed in San Diego Car Wreck Near Balboa Park " »

An unidentified, 24-year-old, Oceanside man was killed Monday from injuries sustained from a suspected drunk driving car crash in Valley Center. The news story about the crash can be found here.

According to the California Highway Patrol officers, the man was driving east in a 1992 Jeep Grand Cherokee on Lilac Road at Via Piedra at aprroximately 8:20 p.m. when he crossed into the westbound lane. The Jeep crashed headlong into a 2002 Toyota Tundra. The driver of the Toyota suffered a broken elbow.

Three people were taken to the hospital after the car crash and the driver of the Jeep died while being treated for his injuries.

Authorities believe that drugs or alcohol contributed to the crash.

If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a San Diego drunk driving car accident, please call the lawyers at the Jurewitz Law Group at 619-233-5020 or contact them online here.

19-year-old Richard Caldwell of Poway will be sentenced today for a San Diego drunk driving car crash that occurred in April 2008.

The young teenager, 18 years old at the time, crashed his SUV and killed his passenger, Charles Amaro II of the Rancho Bernardo area of San Diego, who was celebrating his 20th birthday with Caldwell and his passengers. Caldwell himself suffered head injuries and his three other passengers--a 19 year-old man, a 16 year-old girl, and a 17 year-old girl--were also injured.

The car accident was horrific. News stories at the time (found here and here) describe Caldwell driving at 65 to 70 mph along a residential street zoned with a 35 mph speed limit, leaving skidmarks, before rolling over several times on Valle Verde Road in Poway after it lost control on a curve past Vinter Way and ending up near Edina Way.

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At the time of the violent car wreck, it was suspected that the teens had been drinking and that alcohol was involved in the car crash. Sadly, that turned out to be the case.

Continue reading " Poway Teen to be Sentenced Today for Fatal 2008 San Diego Drunk Driving Car Accident " »

This past Saturday, a drunk driver caused a serious San Diego car accident when she hit four people, including a child, who were pedestrians crossing the street in in the neighborhood of Egger Highlands in San Diego, near Imperial Beach. The pedestrian accident happened at approximately 7 p.m. when the drunk driver, driving west on Coronado Avenue, attempted to avoid another car turning left from Thermal Avenue. You can read the original news source here.

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When the 20-year-old female drunk driver tried to miss the car, she instead hit three adults and one child standing on the corner. San Diego Police Department Sgt. Alan Hayward said that one of the adult pedestrians suffered serious injuries to her leg, while the other three suffered minor injuries.

The drunk driver was arrested and is likely to be charged with driving under the influence.

Continue reading " Drunk Driver Hits Four Pedestrians In Imperial Beach " »