Roll-over Carmel Valley car accident leaves one dead, several injured

A former star football player at Carmel High was killed Saturday in what police believe was an alcohol-related crash. The car accident occurred around 8:35 p.m. when an 18-year-old Carmel Valley man lost control of his Jeep on Tassajara Road. The jeep drifted to the edge of the road for unknown reasons and collided with a steep dirt cliff on the side of the road.

The collision caused the Jeep to roll several times, according to the California Highway Patrol. As the Jeep flipped, a 19-year-old Carmel man, riding as a passenger was ejected from the Jeep. The man, a former Carmel High football player who enrolled at Chico State University after high school, suffered fatal blunt force injuries.

Two other passengers were injured in the car accident. A 20-year-old Carmel Valley man sustained major injuries and was airlifted to a Bay Area trauma center for treatment. A 22-year-old suffered moderate injuries in the wreck.

The driver suffered minor injuries, but now faces serious consequences as a result of the accident. The 18-year-old driver faces felony DUI and vehicular manslaughter charges in the crash.

Criminal charges are a separate matter than any civil personal injury or wrongful death claim that may follow a tragedy. Criminal culpability is an issue for the state. Personal injury claims provide victims with a mechanism to be made whole after an accident. Medical costs, pain and in the worst cases, the loss of a loved one can devastate victims and families of victims after a car accident.

Source: KSBW Action News, "CHP: Carmel Valley Teen Arrested In Fatal Crash," Amy Larson, Aug. 17, 2011