ESCONDIDO, CALIFORNIA – A 17-year-old driver was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving Friday morning after a solo vehicle accident in the Harmony Grove area. A teenage passenger died in that accident, according to the California Highway Patrol. The accident was reported around 6 a.m. on Harmony Grove Road near the Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve, east of Escondido.
The driver in the accident suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital. The passenger tragically died at the scene. CHP investigators believe that alcohol or drugs were involved in the accident. No further details are yet available.
This accident happened the day after a Torrey Pines High School student was sentenced to spend up to 547 days in a juvenile detention camp for October DUI accident. Judge George Clarke ordered the teen, who has been in custody since the October 4 crash, to serve the sentence at Camp Barrett in East County. The accident occurred at 1:45 a.m. on a winding road in Rancho Santa Fe. He had been drinking at a party before the accident and had a blood-alcohol level of 0.10 when he was tested about two and a half hours after the accident.
A prosecutor said the teen’s blood alcohol level at the time of the crash was probably closer to 0.13 or 0.14. That blood alcohol level is roughly equivalent to eight or nine alcoholic drinks in a three and a half hour period. Passenger Alex Capozza was killed in the accident and another passenger was injured. The teen driver pleaded guilty last month to gross vehicular manslaughter.
Sadly, there have been many fatal accidents involving teens in San Diego County in the past few months. Police have set up periodic checkpoints in an attempt to curb these accidents. However, they have not yet seemed to impact the teens and their driving. Our hearts go out to the family of the teen killed this morning, as well as to the families of all of the other deceased teens.
Although the teen drivers in these accidents have been criminally sentenced, they may also be subject to civil sentences for wrongful death. The family members of the deceased teens may have civil claims against the teen drivers and their families. The lawyers at Berman & Riedel, LLP in San Diego, California have handled numerous wrongful death cases. Our lawyers understand the complicated and delicate nature of these kinds of cases. If you would like to speak to a lawyer about the loss of your loved one in a tragic accident, contact the firm to set up a consultation.
