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[/profileleft]Driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs is an enormous societal problem. Advocacy groups, concerned citizens and law enforcement agencies have spent billions of dollars and countless hours trying to heighten the awareness regarding the dangers of this terrible mistake. Unfortunately, despite these noble efforts, people continue to make this awful decision at an alarming rate. It appears possible that a motorist made this very mistake over the weekend. This motorist allegedly caused a fatal DUI accident underneath the Coronado Bridge. The circumstances regarding this crash are as horrifying as they are hard to believe. Four people died and several others suffered injuries. This incident will also add to the statistics regarding the seemingly constant DUI accident problem. This problem persists both in California and across the rest of the United States.
About the Alleged DUI Accident
According to KFMB, the accident occurred just after 3:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. A 24-year-old male was driving his pickup truck on the onramp of the Coronado Bridge from northbound Interstate 5. He crashed into a guardrail, lost control of the vehicle and it flew off of the bridge. The truck fell approximately 60 feet directly onto a vendor tent at Chicano Park. The park sits below the freeway near the 1900 block of Julian Avenue.
Tragically, four people died almost instantly and at least eight others sustained injuries of varying degrees of severity. The La Raza Run motorcycle festival took place on Saturday. Because of that, the park was especially busy. The driver also suffered serious injuries. The driver faces several possible criminal charges after his arrest took place while in the hospital. These charges include vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, DUI causing injury or death and others.
DUI Accident Statistics
First, we’d like to offer our condolences to the loved ones of those who tragically and senselessly lost their lives. We also offer our thoughts to those who suffered injuries. As stated above, driving under the influence of alcohol and/or other intoxicants remains an enormous problem in San Diego, in California and all over the United States. According to the California Office of Traffic Safety, more than 1,300 people are injured or killed in DUI accidents every year in San Diego County alone. That number increases to nearly 25,000 people across California. Every year in the United States, hundreds of thousands of people suffer injuries and approximately 10,000 people lose their lives because of motorists who are driving under the influence. That equates to more than 27 people killed in a DUI accident every single day, or more than one every hour.
Contact a San Diego Car Accident Lawyer
It’s incredibly difficult to know what to do if you suddenly lose someone you love in an accident that was caused by a drunk or otherwise intoxicated driver. Emotions such as grief, shock and sadness can be completely paralyzing. If this tragically happens to you, you need to take action so that you can focus on your grief and your family and allow someone else to handle what needs to be handled in terms of legalities. If you face this situation, contact a San Diego wrongful death lawyer at Gomez Trial Attorneys as soon as possible to schedule a free initial consultation.
