OCSD says Major Accident Reconstruction Team (MART) investigation still going
Story updated at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 22
By Eric Heinz
More than 10 days after a traffic collision that hospitalized four people on Aug. 12 in San Clemente, Orange County Sheriff’s Department officials said they’re still investigating the case.
Carrie Braun, a public information official with OCSD, said deputies are still making determinations on how the collision occurred and what factors may have contributed to it.
On Tuesday, Aug. 22, at the San Clemente City Council meeting, several people from the neighborhood near the 700 block of Camino de los Mares said during the public comment period that they would like a traffic analysis study conducted by the city. They said they want to determine if anything can be done to protect their frontage road where two bicyclists and a pedestrian were injured on Aug. 12 and to see if any speed-limit reductions could be made. The driver was also injured in the incident. The road and nearby homes as of now are only guarded by a short median with bushes in front of it.
The San Clemente Times has contacted OCSD each working day since the incident occurred, but few details have been made public since the initial report, given the severity of the incident.
Original Story
A driver and three other people were injured at about 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 12, after the motorist driving a 2016 Dodge pickup truck struck a median at a “high rate of speed,” crossed through the median and hit several parked cars, causing either his or other vehicles to strike a pedestrian and two bicyclists in the 700 block of Camino de los Mares, according to officials with Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD).
One person is in critical condition and at least two people were airlifted to hospitals. The driver’s condition was unclear, and he was described as a man in his 30s, said Carrie Braun, public information officer for OCSD, but that the driver was taken to a local hospital.
A black 2016 Dodge pickup truck collided with several parked cars after driving through a median at a high rate of speed on Aug. 12 on the 700 block of Camino de los Mares in San Clemente, according to OCSD. More details are being gathered after four people in total were injured in the incident. Photo: Courtesy of Dario Pascual
As of 5:45 p.m., Camino de los Mares is closed in both east and west directions from Avenida Vaquero to Calle Nuevo for at least the next four to six hours, Braun said.
The OCSD Major Accident Reconstruction Team (MART) is currently investigating the situation.
It has also not yet been determined whether alcohol or other impairments were a factor in the incident. Braun said MART personnel are currently interviewing witnesses, and details of the incident may not be readily available until later.
This is a developing story. More information will be provided when it becomes available.