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.

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 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 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 24, 2009 – A 36-year-old Florida man visiting San Diego on business died in a head-on collision Tuesday near Ramona, authorities have reported. The crash, which involved a 2004 Chevy 2500 pickup truck and a 1988 Chevy 1500 pickup truck, occurred just before 12:45 p.m. on Wildcat Canyon Road. Keith Sexton, of Florida, was travelling south on Wildcat Canyon Road, while Jeffrey James, 46, of Ramona, was travelling north. For reasons not known, James’ 2004 Chevy truck veered into southbound lanes near Casa de Carol and struck Sexton’s 1988 Chevy truck. James suffered only minor injuries and declined medical treatment. Sexton died at the scene. The CHP is investigating the cause of the fatal Ramona accident. Authorities do not believe speed, drugs, or alcohol were factors in the crash, but the investigation is ongoing.

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AUGUST 29, 2009 – Four people were killed Friday evening in a crash in Santee, the California Highway Patrol has reported. The crash occurred on State Route 125 near Mission Gorge Road, north of La Mesa. According to the CHP, a person called 911 at 6:36 p.m. and reported having a stuck accelerator and was unable to stop at an approaching intersection near Mission Gorge Road. The car was estimated to be travelling at more than 100 mph when the crash occurred. The vehicle caught fire and all four occupants died at the scene. The cause of the fatal Santee crash is under investigation.

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 1, 2009 – Police reported a 79-year-old man and a dog were struck and killed Saturday morning in Rancho Bernardo. The pedestrian accident occurred just before 10 a.m. on Rancho Bernardo Road near Via Del Campo. The man, who was not identified, and one of his dogs were both killed. One other dog survived. Police are investigating the cause of the Rancho Bernardo pedestrian fatality accident.


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JULY 31, 2009 - The California Highway Patrol is investigating an accident involving a 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier and a box truck  that killed a 70-year-old National City man on Interstate 8 in Alpine, authorities said. Dennis Conrad Wolf was a passenger in the Chevrolet Cavalier driven by his wife, a 73-year-old National City woman. They were traveling east on I-8 about 12:45 p.m. when the driver attempted to pass a box truck near the off-ramp for Viejas Casino, authorities said. The truck clipped the car’s rear bumper, causing the woman to lose control of the car and tumble 50 feet down an embankment near Willows Road, according to the CHP. Wolf died at the scene. His wife was flown to a hospital complaining of back and neck pain. The driver of the truck, a San Diego man, was not injured. The CHP is investigating the I-8 car accident.