NOVEMBER 25, 2009 - A cyclist died Tuesday night after colliding with a San Diego Trolley in the Mount Hope area, police reported. The accident occurred on Imperial Avenue near Edgefield Way at about 5:12 p.m. According to the San Diego Medical Examiner’s office, the operator of the eastbound Metropolitatin Transit System (MTS) Trolley saw the victim riding his bicycle along a side street in Mount Hope near the Greenwood Memorial Park & Mortuary approaching the trolley crossing. The cyclist sped up, possibly in an attempt to cross the street before the trolley passed. The trolley then struck the cyclist, who died at the scene. The San Diego police are investigating the cause of the crash.

NOVEMBER 9, 2009 – Authorities have reported a 63-year-old San Diego man was killed Monday morning in University City when his bicycle collided with a police vehicle. The crash occurred at the intersection of Genesee Avenue and Governor Drive in University City at approximately 7:19 a.m. The cyclist was travelling south on Genessee when he was struck at the intersection. The driver of the patrol car was reportedly responding to a traffic accident when the collision occurred. The victim, who has not been identified, died at the scene of the crash. The cause of the fatal San Diego bicycle accident is still under investigation.

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OCTOBER 25, 2009 – A 20-year-old San Diego man died early Saturday at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla following a motorcycle crash Friday evening in Rancho Peñasquitos. The accident happened Friday evening at about 6:15 p.m. on Black Mountain Road near Defreitas Avenue, authorities reported. The San Diego Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Garrett Bowman of San Diego. Bowman was taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital where he died early Saturday morning. San Diego Police are investigating the cause of the motorcycle accident.

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OCTOBER 21, 2009 – Police reported a teenage girl was struck by a taxi Tuesday evening in Pacific Beach. The girl, who was not identified, was walking in the 2200 block of Garnet Avenue around 5:30 p.m. when she was struck. The taxi reportedly pulled into the street and struck her. The girl was taken to Rady Children’s Hospital with facial injuries. The cause of the Pacific Beach pedestrian accident remains under investigation.

OCTOBER 20, 2009 – A Qualcomm Stadium employee died Tuesday morning after falling out of a press box at Qualcomm Stadium before the Chargers / Broncos Game Monday night. Walter Daniels, 66, of Spring Valley, fell approximately 30 feet from an upper level press box onto the loge level. He was taken by ambulance to Sharp Memorial Hospital where he died early Tuesday morning. An investigation is ongoing; an official cause of death has not been released.

OCTOBER 14, 2009 – A man in a wheelchair was seriously injured Tuesday evening when he was struck by a vehicle at an East Village intersection. The intersection accident occurred just before 5 p.m. at Ninth Avenue and E Street, San Diego police said. According to witnesses, the driver of the sedan that hit the man was talking on his cell phone when he struck another vehicle and then the man in the wheelchair, knocking him out of the chair and running over him. The driver’s cell phone was confiscated so police could determine what time a call was received or made. The victim, who was not identified, was taken to the trauma center at UCSD with serious injuries. The East Village pedestrian accident remains under investigation.

OCTOBER 12, 2009 – The State Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) is quickly learning that solving one problem leads to a new problem. After years of cracking down on liquor stores and other businesses for selling alcohol to minors, ABC is now tasked with another problem: teens who get their alcohol from adults, often at house parties. Many parents allow underage drinking in their homes, under the premise that it is safer if they drink at home than somewhere else. Despite all the best intentions, allowing groups of minors to drink in a home is illegal.

Crashes Involving Underage Drinking: Target Responsibility For Alcohol Connected Emergencies (TRACE)

The Target Responsibility For Alcohol Connected Emergencies (TRACE) Unit is a specialized team of ABC Investigators who conduct investigations throughout California for incidents, involving minors, alcohol, and serious injuries or fatalities. The TRACE Unit has investigated 23 cases in San Diego County since 2006. Here are some of them:

• TRACE investigated the case of Daniel R. Martinez, 23, of Escondido, who furnished alcohol to two teenagers who later died in an alcohol-related crash. Martinez was sentenced in San Diego County North County Regional Court to 3 years probation, 24 hours of community service, and fined $3,745.

• The District attorney’s office is currently reviewing a case involving a 45-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man who provided alcohol to a 19-year-old Fallbrook firefighter before he died in a crash on Highway 76 in December, 2008.

• TRACE is currently investigating the source of alchol that contributed to the death of Alex Michael Capozza on October 4 in Rancho Santa Fe. Capozza had been the only fatality out of five occupants in a solo-vehicle crash driven by a 17-year-old boy who had been drinking.

A History of San Diego County Social Host Ordinance

With the help of the North Inland Community Prevention Project, Poway City Council member Jay Goldby introduced the county’s first social host ordinance in the fall of 2002. On April 21, 2003, the San Diego City Council passed the social host ordinance to penalize adults for providing alcohol to minors. Poway was the second city in the county to pass a social host ordinance. Under the ordinance, adults and minors who allow groups of three or more people younger than age 21 to drink alcohol in their homes face up to six months and jail and a fine of up to $1,000. Hosts may also face civil liability for providing alcohol, if the use of alcohol results in injury or death (such as an alcohol-related crash).

North County Cities With Social Host Ordinances

Underage drinking should be a serious concern for parents of teenagers. A new billboard installed last week along westbound Highway 78 near El Camino Real is a sober warning to parents about social host ordinances in San Diego County. Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos, Escondido and Carlsbad all have adopted Social Host ordinances, as well as Poway, Encinitas, La Mesa, El Cajon, Santee, the City of San Diego and the unincorporated areas of San Diego County.

Social Host Ordinance Means Criminal Prosecution and Civil Liability

San Diego County’s social responsibility ordinance requires parents who have reasonable knowledge of underage drinking on their property to stop it. Penalties include up to six months in jail or a $1,000 fine. Additionally, hosts may face civil responsibility if the injured person claims the negligence of the host caused a minor’s injuries or death. In San Diego County, violation of this law may be sufficient to establish negligence. The social host ordinance not only applies to drunk-driving deaths and injuries to minors, but also to many other alcohol-related problems, such as binge drinking, alcohol-related violence, sexual assault, and rape. For more information about civil liability for accidents, injuries and fatalities caused by underage drinking as a result of social host violations, contact Estey & Bomberger at (619)543-1391.

OCTOBER 12, 2009 – Police have reported a 47-year-old Yucaipa man was killed early Sunday morning in Clairemont. A female passenger in the vehicle suffered a serious head injury. According to reports, Yun Taek Park, of Yucaipa, was leaving a relative’s apartment on Clairemont Drive near Indian Way at about 2:20 a.m. when the accident occurred. He attempted to pull his 2006 Acura sedan across traffic lanes but was struck on the driver’s side by a 2005 Nissan XTerra. He died of his injuries at the scene. Police reported the 29-year-old driver of the Nissan XTerra had been drinking. The fatal Clairemont accident remains under investigation.

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OCTOBER 9, 2009 – A San Diego woman was killed early Thursday morning in a crash at a City Heights intersection, San Diego Police reported. The fatal crash occurred around 6 a.m. at Fairmont Avenue and El Cajon Boulevard. According to reports, the woman, 40, whose identity was not released, was travelling north on Fairmont Avenue when, for unknown reasons, she ran the light at El Cajon Boulevard. Her Toyota Corolla collided with a Mercury Marquis heading east. The driver of the Mercury Marquis, a 20-year-old woman, though not deemed at fault, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. The driver of the Corolla was taken to the hospital where she died of her injuries. Police are investigating the cause of the crash.

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OCTOBER 7, 2009 – Five Torrey Pines High School students were involved in a solo-vehicle rollover crash in Rancho Santa Fe early Sunday morning that left one boy dead, the CHP has reported. The accident, which involved a Mazda 3, happened on La Granada near the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club. The driver of the car, whose name has not been released, was booked into Juvenile Hall on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and vehicular manslaughter. The right, rear passenger of the Mazda, 17-year-old Alex Michael Capozza, was ejected from the vehicle and died of his injuries at the scene of the crash. Another passenger suffered a scalp laceration and other injuries and was taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla in critical condition. The cause of the fatal Rancho Santa Fe accident remains under investigation.

The California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) is also investigating the source of the alcohol involved in the accident. Prior to the crash, the five teenagers were reportedly drinking at a $5.7 million Rancho Santa Fe estate. The owner of the home told local news reporters that he was out of town when the get together occurred. Under San Diego County’s social host ordinance, the hosts of parties involving underage drinking may face penalties for allowing underage drinking in their homes. According to authorities, when it comes to knowing what is going on and what kind of alcohol is inside a home, the property owner is responsible, and could face criminal or civil litigation.

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