Articles Posted in Defective Roadways

A 58-year-old Glen Ellen man died in a head-on collision on a section of Highway 12 in a legal passing area where there have been at least four auto accident deaths in the past five or six years, a news report in the Times Herald stated. According to the article, Alfredo Alcaraz was killed when his 1998 Honda Civic was struck by a 2003 Toyota Camry driven by 63-year-old Allen Gates of Santa Rosa.

Officials said Gates was eastbound when he unsafely passed a garbage truck. That led to a head-on crash with the Honda, which was going westbound and the impact pushed Gates’ Toyota into the path of the garbage truck. The driver of the truck was not injured but the Honda spun into a ditch.
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A $1.2 million dollar study, approved by Orange County transportation planners will look at how to improve a section of highway from the Santa Ana Freeway, North of El Toro, to San Clemente, which has been a silent witness to many fatal car crashes.

This area includes over 14 cities and some unincorporated territory which has seen unprecedented growth over the years. While many changes have been put in place by the OCTA in South Orange County to improve congestion on the highways, new cities have sprung up over the years, as new schools, and reasonably priced homes became available. In fact, in 1980 the cities of Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo, and Laguna Niguel had a total population of 205,000, but it is projected that in 2030 those same cities will increase in population by 45%.

Unfortunately, this study comes too late for several of the county residents who lost their lives on Orange County freeways. Just this month all three of the Cobble’s children, Emma 4, Kyle 5, Katie 2, died when a tractor-trailer, driven by Jorge Romero, rear-ended their minivan near the Oso exit. Kyle celebrated his fifth birthday the day before he died. Romero has been cited several times for such things as speeding; driving without his lights on; and, driving on a suspended license. An investigation is ongoing.
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