AUGUST 18, 2009 - A woman was seriously injured when she was struck by a suspected drunken driver while walking through the parking lot of a local market, authorities said. The collision occurred about 4:30 p.m. as the woman walked with her husband to their car in the parking lot of San Marcos Market on West Mission Road near Pico Avenue, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. The driver of a Saturn SL was apparently backing up when he struck the woman and dragged her under the car for about 40 feet, officials said. The victim suffered serious internal injuries, as well as injuries to her right arm, back and ribs. The driver fled west on West Mission Road where he was spotted by a Palomar College police officer, officials said. The driver, identified as 27-year-old Leopoldo Morales of San Marcos, was pursued for a short distance before he crashed head-on into a parked car on Descanso Avenue. He fled on foot, but witnesses pointed him out to police and he was arrested on Linda Vista Drive, authorities said. Morales was booked at Vista Jail on suspicion of driving under the influence and causing serious bodily injury, hit-and-run and evading arrest, authorities said. He was held on an immigration hold. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department is continuing to investigate the pedestrian accident.
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AUGUST 4, 2009 - A 66-year-old man suffered major head and neck trauma after he was struck by a car while crossing a street in City Heights, authorities said. The unidentified man was attempting to cross Fairmount Avenue at Myrtle Street when he was struck by a Honda about 9:16 p.m., according to San Diego police. The victim was apparently in a marked crosswalk when he was hit by the southbound vehicle, authorities said. The car, which had tinted windows and neon lighting on the undercarriage, was located about 5 ½ hours later at the intersection of Poppy Place and 40th Street, which is about a mile from the accident site, police said. The San Diego Police Department is investigating the pedestrian accident.
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JULY 27, 2009 - A 23-year-old man was hospitalized with severe head injuries following a bicycle crash, authorities said. The unidentified man was riding south on Soledad Road shortly before noon when the accident occurred near Kate Sessions Memorial Park, according to San Diego police. According to witnesses, a car traveling north on Soledad Road turned left at Alta Vista Way in front of the bicyclist, authorities said. The victim braked to avoid a collision, causing him to crash, police said. The car did not stop. The San Diego Police Department’s traffic division is investigating the bicycle accident.
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JULY 13, 2009 - The California Highway Patrol and San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office are investigating the death of a 16-year-old boy who was found on a roadway. Andrew Thomas Smith, Jr. was discovered about 2:45 a.m. at the intersection of Pala Temecula and Moro roads, according to the CHP. His all-terrain vehicle was located nearby, and investigators believe he was struck by one or more vehicles. Smith was unresponsive when he was transported to the fire station at Pala. He was pronounced dead minutes after arriving at 3:15 a.m., authorities said. Smith lived on the North San Diego County reservation with his father. It was unclear how long the boy had been laying in the roadway. The CHP is continuing its investigation into the incident.
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JUNE 15, 2009 - A man in his 40s was struck and killed as he tried to cross an intersection in San Diego County, authorities said. The unidentified pedestrian was attempting to cross Meade Avenue at 32nd Street near the 805 Freeway when he was run down about 1:30 a.m., according to an officer with the San Diego Police Department. The victim suffered massive head injuries and died at the scene, police said. The driver of the car, identified only as a newer white hatchback, sped away from the scene. The San Diego Police Department’s Traffic Division is investigating the incident.
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JUNE 12, 2009 - A woman riding her bike home from an Encinitas bar was struck by a driver who then fled the scene, authorities said. The woman was riding her unlit bike south in the center of South Coast Highway 101 with a friend around 1 a.m. when she was struck near Chesterfield Drive, according to the San Diego County sheriff’s department. The driver of the older-model, tan-colored, box-shaped van stopped and told the victim’s friend he would move the van to a safer location, but then drove off. The woman was taken to a local hospital, but the extent of her injuries were unknown.
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JUNE 4, 2009 - A 47-year-old woman is being held on a 72-hour mental health evaluation after a high-speed chase resulted in minor injuries to a California Highway Patrol officer, authorities said. The woman was spotted shortly before 6 a.m. driving south in the northbound lanes of Interstate 805 near Route 54. She turned around at Palm Avenue and headed in the correct direction, but at speeds of up to 100 mph. She exited the freeway at 43rd street and ran several red lights in Lincoln Park. After several more reckless maneuvers, she pulled into a parking lot off Harbison Avenue in Alta Vista, where a patrol car attempted a PIT maneuver and disabled the vehicle about 6:16 a.m. An officer whose car was hit by the woman during the pursuit was taken to a hospital with minor injuries to his neck and jaw, the CHP said. He was treated and released.
JUNE 4, 2009 - A 44-year-old woman was hospitalized with minor injuries after her Mercedes was struck by suspected drunk driver, authorities said. The alleged drunk driver ran a red light at Valley Parkway and Midway Drive shortly after midnight, collided with the woman’s vehicle and then fled in his SUV, according to the Escondido Police Department. The 53-year-old unlicensed man was arrested a short time later after the front wheels of his SUV came off. He then fled on foot, but was caught by police after running through some backyards. The man was taken to a local hospital for minor injuries, then booked into the Vista Jail on suspicion of drunken driving and hit-and-run, authorities said.
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JUNE 2, 2009 - A woman was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries following a hit-and-run collision on Highway 78, the California Highway Patrol reported. The accident happened shortly before 7 a.m. just west of Melrose Drive, and sent the victim’s SUV about 30 feet down a ravine, the CHP reported. Witnesses told the CHP that a red Dodge Neon fled the scene, exiting at Melrose. Authorities were searching for the Neon.
MAY 15, 2009 - A young child was injured in a hit-and-run in Golden Hill last night. The unidentified 3-year-old boy was with other children in an alley in the 2400 block of Market Street when he was struck by the vehicle. He was transported to the hospital with a broken tibia and fibula. The child’s parents knew the driver, but the driver fled the scene before authorities arrived.
