According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, a preliminary hearing was scheduled to decide the fate of a 19-year-old Lakeside resident accused of the vehicular manslaughter of a 74-year-old man on December 10 at the El Cajon courthouse. The young man was driving south on San Vicente Road near Warnock Drive when, according to local authorities, he took his eyes off the road for a minimum of 10 seconds to recover items fallen from his passenger seat. During this 10-second period of distraction, his 2007 Ford Ranger swerved into northbound oncoming traffic going roughly 50 mph. The 19-year-old then collided with a northbound 2000 Ford Ranger driven by the 74-year-old man.
The elderly driver died upon impact of blunt force injuries and the young driver was unscathed. Emergency crews arrived on the scene shortly after 7:40 pm. Local police found no compelling evidence for alcohol as a contributing factor to the crash. The 19-year-old was arrested with a $50,000 bail. He later pleaded not guilty to charges of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and driving on the wrong side of a divided highway causing death.
How Do I Prove The Driver Who Hit Me Was Distracted At The Time?
The judge at the preliminary hearing will determine whether or not there is sufficient evidence to order the 19-year-old to stand trial for his actions. This is a tragic example of how the innocuous 10 seconds spent picking something up from the floor of a car can result in a fatal car accident. Proving a driver to be distracted in the absence of eye-witnesses is a complicated process. However, our attorneys will go the extra mile and work with accident reconstruction experts, obtaining cell phone records and driver histories to determine whether a driver talking or texting caused an accident. Attorney Bonnici Law Group accepts a small amount of cases at a time so that he can devote the full gamut of his legal resources to ensuring that you receive the compensation that you deserve for your suffering at the hands of a negligent driver.
To schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with one of our attorneys, contact our firm today at (619) 853-5101.
[Did You Know: In 2005, car accident related injuries and deaths cost about $70 billion.]
Bonnici Law Group, APC—San Diego car accident attorney
Source: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/ramona-sentinel/sdrs-lakeside-man-19-faces-vehicular-manslaughter-2013aug30-story.html, http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/