FEBRUARY 12, 2010 — A man on his way to work at Viejas Casino was killed in a crash on Interstate 8 Friday morning, authorities reported. The crash occurred on eastbound I-8 west of Willows Road around 6 a.m. The victim, whose identity was not immediately released, was driving a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer at an estimated 85 mph when he struck the rear of a 2000 Ford F650 truck with its hazard lights on. After the initial collision with the Ford, the Mitsubishi went down an embankment on the right side of the road and struck a large rock. The man driving the Mitsubishi died at the scene. The driver of the Ford, a 35-year-old El Cajon man, was not hurt in the crash. The CHP is investigating the cause of the fatal Interstate 8 accident.

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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SEPTEMBER 17, 2009 – A San Diego man died Thursday in a crash on the connector ramp from southbound Interstate 5 to eastbound Highway 78, authorities have reported. The crash, which occurred just before 7 a.m. Thursday, involved a 2002 Lexus IS 300 and a big rig towing a 32 foot cargo trailer. For unknown reasons, the driver of the big rig lost control of the truck on the offramp and rolled onto the Lexus. The driver and sole occupant of the Lexus, Gustavo Gracia, 33, of north county, died at the scene. The driver of the big rig, a 32-year-old Bellflower man, was taken to Palomar Medical Center with minor injuries. The connector ramp to Highway 78 was closed for nearly five hours while authorities investigated. The California Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the fatal Highway 5 accident.

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AUGUST 22, 2009 – A 27-year-old man was killed early Saturday in a solo-vehicle SUV rollover accident in Chula Vista, authorities reported. The San Diego County crash occurred on H Street, near Fourth Avenue at 4:15 a.m. The driver, whose name was not released, was ejected from his Chevrolet Tahoe and died at the scene of the crash. Further details were not immediately available. Police are investigating the cause of the Chula Vista auto accident.

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AUGUST 17, 2009 - A woman and child were seriously injured when a tire apparently separated from its rim and their vehicle rolled over east of Imperial, authorities said. The solo-car accident happened about 7 a.m. on Highway 111 north of Harris Road, according to the California Highway Patrol. The 2000 Toyota 4Runner was carrying six passengers when the accident occurred. The two victims who were ejected were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash, authorities said. Two adult males and two other children were injured in the crash. All of the victims were transported to El Centro Regional Medical Center. The CHP is investigating the rollover crash.

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AUGUST 16, 2009 - The California Highway Patrol is investigating a crash on the 805 Freeway that killed a 62-year-old man, authorities said. Alberto Cuevas Ibarra of Hawthorne was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, which occurred shortly after 7 a.m. at the Mira Mesa Boulevard exit, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner. Ibarra was driving north on the 805 Fwy in a 1998 Ford Ranger when witnesses said his pickup truck veered to the left and struck the center divider, officials said. The driver over-corrected to the right and went off the freeway, rolling over on the Mira Mesa Blvd off-ramp.

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AUGUST 16, 2009 - A 20-year-old man died when the vehicle he was riding in went off Interstate 15 and overturned, authorities said. Marvin Daniel Louis Misouria of San Diego was a rear-seat passenger in a sedan that was traveling southbound on I-15 near the 805 Fwy interchange about 11:30 a.m., according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner. Emergency personnel transported him to Scripps Mercy Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:34 p.m., officials said. The California Highway Patrol is investigating the fatal I-15 rollover crash.

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AUGUST 13, 2009 – One person was injured in a rollover accident Wednesday night on Interstate 805, the CHP reported. The I-805 crash, which involved two vehicles, occurred in the number one lane of northbound 805, just north of El Cajon Boulevard, at about 9:30 p.m. No further details were available. The CHP is investigating the cause of the Interstate 805 rollover crash.

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AUGUST 11, 2009 – A woman died in a Ford Explorer rollover accident Monday afternoon in eastern San Diego County, authorities have reported. The fatal Ford Explorer rollover crash occurred just before 3:30 p.m. Monday afternoon, on SR-79, just north of Wolahi Road, near Lake Cuyamaca. According to reports, the driver lost control of the 2001 Ford Explorer, which rolled several times before it crashed into a large pine tree west of the road. The driver, identified as Charlotte Lorraine Winn, 73, of Julian, was flown to Escondido’s Palomar Medical Center with critical injuries. She died a short time after arrival. Her 68-year-old husband suffered moderate injuries in the crash, and was taken by ambulance to Sharp Memorial Hospital. The CHP is investigating the Highway 79 rollover accident.

This tragic crash is just one example of the many Ford Explorer rollover crashes that have occurred since Ford Explorers were first introduced in 1990. Hundreds have died and many more have been very seriously hurt in Explorer rollovers such as this one in the United States. Although Ford insists their vehicles are safe, the Washington Post and other research analysts have found that Ford Explorers have a higher rollover propensity than any other sport utility vehicle (SUV), due to an allegedly defective design. Victims of Ford Explorer rollover crashes may be entitled to compensation for their injuries or the wrongful death of a family member. Ford has paid out hundreds of millions of dollars to victims in Ford Explorer lawsuit verdicts and settlements.

The biggest Ford Explorer rollover verdict awarded from Ford Motor Company for such a rollover accident was awarded to a San Diego woman, in the amount of $369 million. The San Diego woman, who was paralyzed in a January 2002 accident near Alpine in eastern San Diego County, offered to knock $100 million off the damages if Ford would recall the allegedly defectively designed Explorers, but Ford insisted that the vehicles were safe.

For more information about lawsuits, product liability issues and victims’ rights involving Ford Explorer rollover accidents, contact attorneys Stephen Estey or Mike Bomberger at Estey & Bomberger, LLP at (619)295-0035.

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AUGUST 7, 2009 - A 24-year-old man died when his pickup truck struck several parked cars and then overturned in a San Diego County residential neighborhood, authorities said. John Kirk Colgan Jr. of Imperial Beach was driving on 11th Street at a high rate of speed when he struck the parked vehicles near Fern Avenue around 10 p.m., according to the San Diego County Medical examiner’s office. The impact with the parked cars caused Colgan’s truck to lose a tire and then overturn. Colgan, who was not wearing a seat belt, was partially ejected and the truck ended up on top of him, officials said. Bystanders lifted the truck off Colgan and began performing CPR before paramedics arrived and pronounced him dead at the scene, officials said. Colgan was married and had a son, authorities said. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the car accident.

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