Jaehyeong Park, 21, Yoseop Jeon, 18 and, Kiwook Seok, 20, were all killed in a fiery car accident in Irvine. According to a KTLA news report, the incident occurred early morning on Nov. 22 on Harvard Avenue near University Drive. When officials arrived, they found a vehicle smoldering from what appeared to be a fire as a result of the crash. The car had crashed into a tree and was completely wrapped around the tree.
Injuries and Fatalities
Park, Jeon and Seok were pronounced dead at the scene and a fourth person, whose identity is not known, was transported to an area hospital in critical condition. The car, a red Mercedes, was totaled. Investigators are looking at high speed as a possible factor in this collision, which occurred not far from UC Irvine. It is not clear if the young men were students. Anyone with information is asked to contact Irvine police at 949-724-7047.
We offer our deepest condolences to the family members and friends of these young men for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. Our thoughts and prayers are also with the critically injured victim.
Why Speeding is Dangerous
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), speeding puts everyone on the roadway in grave danger. In 2018, speeding killed 9,378 people. For the last 20 years, speeding has been involved in about one-third of all motor vehicle fatalities, NHTSA states. In 2017, speeding was a contributing factor in 26% of all traffic accident deaths.
Speed also affects your safety when you are driving at the speed limit, but too fast for roadway conditions such as road repairs or inclement weather. Speeding endangers not only the life of the driver, but also his or her passengers, and others on the roadway. In this particular case, passengers were fatally injured. These are accidents that can be avoided by exercising care and caution while driving.
Law and Liability Issues
California’s Basic Speed Law states: “No person shall drive a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable or prudent having due regard for weather, visibility, the traffic on, and the surface and width of, the highway, and in no event at a speed which endangers the safety of persons or property.”
In such cases, it would be in the best interest of injured victims and families of deceased victims to retain the services of an experienced Irvine car accident lawyer who will stay abreast of the official investigation and help ensure that their legal rights and best interests are protected.
Source: https://ktla.com/2019/11/22/early-morning-crash-in-irvine-kills-one-and-injures-another-commuters-should-seek-alternate-routes/