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Yet another Accident on Route 67 Kills San Diego Woman

Route 67 has been the scene of dozens of accidents over the past 10 years.  This week, the highway stretch claimed yet another victim.  A 36-year-old woman from Julian, San Diego died yesterday in an accident involving a wrong way driver near Lakeside.

The accident happened when the woman’s Chevrolet van struck an Oldsmobile head-on. The woman died of her injuries at the scene of the crash. The Oldsmobile driver, a Las Vegas resident suffered major injuries in the accident, and was airlifted to a trauma center. According to the Oldsmobile driver, he has no recollection of what happened in the seconds before the accident, but believes he likely fell asleep.

California Highway Patrol officers don’t believe speeding was a factor in the accident.  The Oldsmobile was apparently traveling at about 55mph, which is the posted speed limit on that stretch of route 67.  California auto accident lawyers have been very concerned about the high rates of accidents on this dangerous stretch of highway.

Last year, a young mother was killed in an accident here. Alexandria Drake of Chula Vista was driving a vehicle that was in the path of an out-of-control Jaguar. The Jaguar driver Melvin Pearles was traveling at speeds of more than 80 mph when his car went out of control, veered into oncoming traffic and crashed into several vehicles, including Drake’s car.  The young woman’s car crashed into a tree. The posted speed limit at the stretch at the time of the accident was 55mph. Pearle told the CHP that a white BMW had passed him at a spot on the road, where two lanes merged into one. That caused him to lose control.

That particular stretch of Route 67 has seen more than 3 dozen accidents over the past decade.  CHP records show that there have been 58 accidents on Route 67 that have occurred along a single one-mile stretch. Most of these occurred just after the eastbound lanes merge into one from two separate lanes. All in all, there have been more than 900 accidents along the entire highway over the past 10 years. Residents believe that the design of the road encourages speeding and racing. Motorists are constantly racing each other, especially at the spot where the merge appears.

Officials maintain that Route 67 can be used safely if motorists take precautions and drive within posted speed limits. However, locals have been asking for barriers to be installed to prevent head-on accidents. Officials have not taken those suggestions seriously. They believe that barriers would actually increase the risk of accidents by forcing residents to travel miles in the opposite direction, before making dangerous U turns to drive back in the desired direction.

When one particular road is the scene of more than 900 accidents, it’s fair to assume that the design of the road either contributes to accidents, or encourages unsafe driving practices by motorists. How many more people have to die on Route 67 before enhancements are made? To be fair, the CHP does conduct increased patrols on the highway, but more measures are needed.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of dangerous roads. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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