One Killed, One Injured in San Diego Freeway Wreck

A 10-year-old boy was seriously injured in a high-speed wreck on the San Diego Freeway.

The woman, a 63-year-old San Diego resident, was driving a blue Ford Fusion south on the freeway, just north of Interstate 805 when, for unknown reasons, she lost control, said CHP Officer Salvador Castro. The car veered off the road and struck a sign, then continued down an embankment, overturned and struck a tree, he said.

Emergency crews had to extricate the woman and the boy, who was the front-seat passenger, from the wreckage.

The woman died at the scene and the boy was taken to a hospital with major injuries, the CHP said. The cause of the crash was under investigation.

Car Crash Causes

Driver error causes about 98 percent of the car crashes in California. Other factors, such as defective road design, cause or substantially contribute to some wrecks as well.

Based on initial reports, it appears that aggressive driving might have caused the above crash. Some examples of aggressive driving include:

• Speeding,
• Changing lanes unsafely,
• Tailgating,
• Turning unsafely, and
• Ignoring a traffic control device.

Excessive speed increases the risk of a wreck and the force in a collision. Since velocity multiplies stopping distance, speeding drivers have less time to react to their environments. Furthermore, speed multiples the force in a wreck, according to Newton’s Second Law of Gravity.

Operator impairment, mostly substance abuse, causes a significant number of wrecks as well. Alcohol impairs judgment and motor skills. Most other drugs, such as marijuana, have similar effects. It’s usually legal to drink alcohol and smoke marijuana. But it’s always illegal, and always dangerous, to drive under the influence of these substances.

Usually, if a defective road caused a crash, a Carlsbad auto accident lawyer can obtain compensation for victims if a ministerial act, as opposed to a discretionary act, caused the wreck.

The decision to place, or not place, a stop sign at an intersection is a discretionary act. Maintaining that stop sign, such as repairing vandalism damage and trimming tree limbs that obscure the sign, is a ministerial act.

If multiple parties were responsible for a wreck, such as a defective road and a defective driver, the responsible parties must sort out fault between themselves. The victim receives the same amount of compensation. It’s just a matter of who writes the check.

Car Crash Injuries

Every year, vehicle collisions seriously injure millions of people. These injuries are normally disabling, at least to an extent. For example, if Alex sustains a broken ankle in a car wreck, he may permanently lose some range of motion in that joint.

These injuries, which usually involve sky-high medical bills, affect drivers and passengers alike. All vehicle occupants have the same legal and financial rights. However, many passengers choose not to exercise these rights, mostly because they don’t want to “blame” the driver for an “accident.”

Criminal courts assess blame and criminal responsibility. Civil actions, on the other hand, don’t blame anyone for anything. Instead, these actions compensate injured victims for their losses.

In other words, civil claims emphasize responsibility. If Bill hits Jimmy’s bicycle and damages it, he should fix the bike or buy Jimmy a new one. Likewise, if Bill hits Jimmy, he should pay Jimmy’s medical bills and compensate him for his noneconomic losses, such as emotional distress, as well. People are worth much more than bicycles, so compensation is higher.

Additionally, as mentioned above, negligence causes most car crashes. These incidents are not unavoidable or inevitable accidents. People accidentally leave their keys at home. They don’t accidentally speed excessively, lose control of their vehicles, and tumble down embankments.

Connect With a Dedicated San Diego County Lawyer

Injury victims are entitled to substantial compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Carlsbad, contact the Pursley Law Firm. We do not charge upfront legal fees in these matters.

Source:

sandiegouniontribune.com/news/public-safety/story/2024-01-22/woman-killed-boy-seriously-injured-in-san-diego-freeway-crash