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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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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SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 – A young boy was struck by a car Tuesday night in Clairemont, the San Diego Police reported. The accident occurred at about 7 p.m. on Idlewild Way, near the intersection of Jutland Drive. The boy, who was not identified, was taken to a hospital for treatment of his injuries. Police are investigating the cause of the accident.

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SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 — A jury in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, awarded a 51-year-old Eau Claire woman $3.14 million for permanent injuries she sustained in a crash caused by a drunk driver on the evening of December 11, 2005.

Debra Mayer suffered two broken teeth, a broken left arm, a broken left leg, a broken left foot, a fractured rib and a punctured lung after the near head-on collision. The accident occurred in the town of Eagle Point, north of Chippewa Falls. The driver of the 1989 Pontiac Grand Am that caused the accident, David M. Bowe, 59, had just left a bar in Chippewa Falls when the accident occurred. Bowe was sentenced to 18 months in jail for causing the collision. It was Bowe’s second drunken driving offense.

Since the crash, Mayer now walks with a cane, needs massage therapy and physical therapy. She has had to make modifications to her home to allow her to continue living at home with her injuries.

Two years ago, Mayer rejected a settlement offer of $900,000. The award included $750,000 for Mayer’s future medical expenses; $250,000 for past medical expenses; $17,588 for out-of-pocket expenses; $1.75 million for past and future pain and suffering, disfigurement and disability; and $375,000 in punitive damages.