Articles Posted in Drunk Driving Accidents

Nationwide, fatal car accidents involving drunk drivers have been on the decline. But yesterday, a study was released listing the 20 cities in the United States where drunk driving is most prevalent, and San Diego tops the list. Not far behind San Diego was Los Angeles, which ranked seventh.

Despite the trend downward, driving under the influence continues to be a serious problem. In 2008 (the most recent statistics), nearly 12, 000 people were killed in the United States because of drunk drivers. At Walton Law Firm, we have represented numerous victims of drunk driving accidents. The effort by various states to curb drinking and driving, though, has paid off. In 2007, over 20,000 people were killed in drunk driving accidents, nearly twice the number of the following year. Of all the states, Vermont has the lowest fatality rate, and Montana the highest.

Based on an Insurance.com survey of traffic violations involving drunk drivers, here are the rankings for the top 20 large metropolitan areas:

Instead of planning a baby shower, the family and friends of Elaina Luquis-Ortiz are planning a funeral. The 21-year-old Lemon Grove woman was killed during the early morning hours of News Year Day when she pulled over on the shoulder of I-805 to help a friend change a flat tire, and a drunk driver named Joseph Anthony Venegas lost control and swerved and crashed into Ortiz’s car at a high rate of speed.

Ortiz’s husband, Frank Ortiz, a marine, was devastated. He told the Union Tribune, “I lost two in a tragic accident – my wife and son.” The unborn son was going to be named Romeo Francisco.

According to reports, Ortiz and two friends were waiting in her car, just behind the vehicle with the flat tire when the accident occurred. Tragically, her husband had gone out looking for her when he drove upon the scene, which he described as looking “like a movie.” He was informed at the scene that his wife had died. The two other women were taken to area hospitals with major injuries.

A local high school student was killed, and another injured, after a serious car accident in Rancho Santa Fe early Sunday morning.

According to reports, five high school students from Torrey Pines High School piled into a Mazda 3 after a party and headed north on La Granada near the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club. The car was speeding, and the driver failed to negotiate a curve, careening off the road and through a wooden fence before rolling over.

One boy in the car was ejected, and suffered major head and died at the scene. Another boy, Jamie Arnold, suffered serious injuries and was transported to Scripps Memorial Hospital. Arnold was also not belted at the time of the accident. Two other passengers and the driver were not injured.