People in San Diego may have heard about the tragic death of a 22-year-old man who was killed in a car accident while traveling on Ted Williams Parkway in Rancho Penasquitos in May. The man was on his way to a funeral when his vehicle was violently struck by a Land Rover in a head-on collision. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the car accident.
The driver of the Land Rover was an 18-year-old, who according to numerous eye-witnesses, was driving erratically and dangerously along the stretch of freeway near the Interstate 15 interchange. Witnesses say the driver was changing lanes recklessly and swerving, finally crossing over a center median and causing the head-on collision with the innocent man.
This was not just a negligent driver, but a highly intoxicated teenager, using his car as a battering ram without any notion of the deadly consequences of his foolish game. Police uncovered used bottles of computer keyboard cleaner, an inhalant used to produce a cheap, but dangerous high, and discovered traces of prescription drugs and marijuana in the driver’s blood. He denied being under the influence at the time of the accident.
Prosecutors have charged the 18-year-old man with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and other DUI-related charges. He will stand trial in November, and may face up to 10 years in prison for his crimes. While the victim’s family may see their son’s killer imprisoned, they might also be able to obtain damages for the young man’s wrongful death.
Source: Fox 5 San Diego “Teen faces long prison term for fatal wrong-way crash,” July 18, 2013.
Anchor Text: car accident
