Two Teens Suffer Major Injuries in Separate Crashes on Highway 76

Two San Diego County teens suffered major personal injuries after separate auto accidents on Highway 76 in North County. Both accidents involve negligent drivers drifting into oncoming lanes, and neither accident was the fault of the injured teen. Remarkably, it appears that drugs or alcohol played no role in either crash.

The first accident occurred on April 20th. A 19-year-old Mira Costa College student was hit head on on her way to school at approximately 8:30 a.m. A late model Infiniti driving eastbound on Highway 78 crossed over into the westbound lane, striking the teen’s car. The Jaws of Life were need to extract the victim from the car, and she was taken to Palomar Medical center where she underwent extensive surgery to repair a severely fractured right leg.

The other accident occurred on April 23rd, and involved a 19-year-old Conrad Murphy, a student at Valley Center High School. Murphy, a leader on the school’s baseball team, was driving his pickup truck on Highway 76 on his way to baseball practice when he was hit head on by a Ford Ranger truck carrying pest control chemicals. The negligent driver told authorities on the scene that he inexplicably “lost control” of his truck, which probably means he was texting or otherwise distracted. Murphy suffered massive injuries and was also taken to Palomar Hospital.

According to his brother, a minor league baseball player, Murphy suffered “head trauma, a broken neck, a broken pelvis and a punctured lung.” Hopefully the young man makes a full recovery and is back out on the baseball field before too long. The team played its Monday baseball game in Murphy’s honor.

Hopefully the careless drivers who caused these crashes – neither suffered serious injury, by the way – have sufficient insurance or other funds to cover the damage they have caused. Both of these kids have long roads to recovery.

The North County San Diego personal injury lawyers at Walton Law Firm offer free consultations to individuals who have been injured in all types of accidents, including automobile accidents, pedestrian injuries, dog attacks / bites, worksite injuries, pedestrian injuries, construction accidents, property injuries, and malpractice matters. Call (760) 571-5500.