San Diego Personal Injury Attorney Blog

BALBOA PARK - Two people were tragically killed in a head-on collision early Saturday morning in San Diego, the California Highway Patrol reported. The accident was reported at 1:25 a.m. on April 16, 2011 on southbound Interstate 5, just south of Highway 163, and involved a silver Honda Civic sedan and a red Nissan Altima sedan. The driver of the Honda Civic, a 29-year-old man who was an Active Duty Petty Officer stationed aboard 32nd Street Naval Station in San Diego, was reportedly travelling the wrong way on Interstate 5. His vehicle crashed head-on with the Nissan driven by Cassaundra Renee Olivarria, 23, of Chula Vista. The driver of the Honda died at the scene of the crash. Olivarria was taken to UCSD Medical Center where she died a short time after arrival. The cause of the accident is under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.

Cause of the San Diego County Accident

Driving the wrong way on a freeway is reckless and can have catastrophic consequences, such as what happened in this April 16th accident. The majority of wrong-way head-on collision on freeways occur because the driver of the wrong-way vehicle is either impaired by alcohol or drugs, elderly and disoriented, or attempting to commit suicide. It is unclear what happened hear. Hopefully, the CHP investigation will provide answers as to what happened and why.

Head-on Collision Wrongful Death Liability

Even though the at-fault party was killed in the crash, the victim's family may still pursue a wrongful death claim against the estate of the driver, and any other parties that caused or contributed to the incident. While this incident remains under investigation, the family members of the victim of this horrific crash would be well-advised to speak to a California wrongful death lawyer about the accident and their rights to pursue a claim for the devastating and heartbreaking loss of their loved one.