San Diego Personal Injury Attorney Blog

A 53-year-old Vista woman tragically died Monday morning when her car was rear-ended on Interstate 15, the San Diego Union Tribune reported. The crash occurred on the southbound side of the freeway, near Ninth Avenue, at about 6:20 a.m. According to the California Highway Patrol, four cars were involved in the collision: a 1999 Dodge Ram truck, a 2001 Mercedes, a Toyota Avalon, and a Toyota Sienna.

According to news reports, the crash started when the driver of the Dodge Ram rear-ended the Mercedes at about 60 mph. Apparently, he was unable to stop after he changed lanes and encountered stopped traffic. The driver of the Mercedes, Caroline McElhaney, 53, of Vista, was taken to Palomar Medical Center where she died shortly after arrival. The drivers of the two Toyotas, as well as a passenger in the Sienna, suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the pickup truck, 28-year-old Jackson Redmond of Colton, was not hurt.

Our condolences go out to the family and loved ones of Caroline McElhaney, who sadly was the victim of this horrific accident. Please keep her family in your prayers during this surely very difficult time. We hope the three injured victims make a full recovery.

Cause of the I-15 Crash

If news reports are accurate, it appears that this crash was caused by the driver of the Dodge Ram, who first rear-ended the Mercedes-Benz at high speeds. It is not clear if he was distracted, impaired, simply driving recklessly, or if something else happened to cause this collision. Even if the driver was driving within highway speed limits, he still may be at fault for driving too fast for traffic conditions. However, the CHP is still investigating the cause of the fatal August 9th crash.