Two people are dead and two others injured after jumping from a bridge after a freeway accident on Tuesday, July 9th. Some are now questioning whether increased safety measures are needed.
Fox 6 in San Diego reports that the accident happened at approximately 11:00 p.m. when two men and two teen girls were traveling eastbound in a Nissan Altima on the Carmel Valley Freeway. As they were crossing a bridge, their vehicle inexplicably spun out of control, crashing into a freeway barrier.
A spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol said in a statement that the car ended up facing oncoming traffic. Eyewitnesses at the scene said that they saw six people get out of the car and run across lanes of the freeway to the right shoulder.
That is when four of the six jumped over the barrier, not realizing that they were jumping from a bridge with a 50 to 70-foot drop to the ground below. Investigators believe that because it was dark, those who jumped didn’t realize what they were doing.
Two men – one 18 years old and another man whose age has not yet been determined, were pronounced dead at the scene. Two girls, age 14 and 15, were transported by ambulance to Scripps La Jolla Hospital for treatment.
The identities of both the deceased and the injured have been withheld at this time.
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ABC 10 in San Diego reports that the CHP has been tracking the number of people who fall or jump off bridges in order to escape danger. Some have suggested adding better lighting on bridges as well as signs warning motorists of the danger. Another suggestion is to make guardrails on freeway bridges higher to prevent such accidents from happening. a
Caltrans Headquarters Division Chief of Maintenance, Dennis Agar told ABC that the agency is always looking for ways to improve safety on California’s bridges and highways.
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