San Diego Highway 67 Accidents Continue Despite Prevention Efforts

Most California counties have a few “killer stretches” of roads, where collisions happen surprisingly often. Most dangerous roads are two-lane highways where drivers frequently travel too fast and an unsafe passing attempt or one small slip of the steering wheel, either due to distraction, driving under the influence or falling asleep at the wheel can instantly end in catastrophe. In San Diego County, one of the most dangerous known roads is Highway 67, nicknamed by some “Blood Alley” or “Slaughterhouse Canyon Road.” The 25-mile highway from El Cajon to Mount Woodson is narrow and full of steep inclines, twists and blind turns, especially the 12-mile stretch from Lakeside north to Ramona. Part of the reasons Highway 67 is especially dangerous is that it was never meant to be a freeway. According to one report, 39,500 vehicles travel Route 67 every single day, including many large trucks.

History of Highway 67 Accidents in San Diego County

Some of the accidents on Highway 67 over the years have included:

• On August 2, 2015, a 48-year-old El Cajon man died after he lost control of his 1932 Ford Roadster and  flew off the side of state Route 67 near Woodside Avenue in East County and crashed into a fence post.
• On June 27, 2015, a 21-year-old Ramona man driving a new 2015  Honda Civic was struck head-on Friday night at 10:34 p.m. on State Route 67.  A Kia driven by a 16-year-old San Diego teen with a provisional driver’s license crossed the center line after the driver lost control.  The two drivers, along with a 16-year-old passenger in the Kia, all sustained serious injuries. (East County Magazine)
• On March 17, 2015, a big rig and a motorcycle collided at the intersection of SR-67 and Slaughterhouse Canyon Road, resulting in serious injuries to the motorcycle.
• On September 19, 2014, a 23-year-old Ramona man was killed trying to help victims of a two car crash on Highway 67 in Santee, near State Route 52.
• A man and woman died after a wrong-way driver collided head-on on State Route 67 near Winter Gardens Boulevard, at about 3:15 p.m. on June 1, 2014.
• On October 26, 2013, two vehicles were involved in a dispute over right-of-way where State Route 67 merges from two lanes to a single lane at Poway Road. As the two vehicles merged, the passenger side of a Volvo S 60 collided with the driver’s side of a Dodge Ram 3500.  After the collision, the Dodge Ram veered right, striking a bicyclist traveling northbound in a marked bicycle lane. The bicyclist was seriously injured.
• Four people died and three people were injured in a crash at State Route 67 and Rockhouse Road on May 25, 2012. The driver of a Chevrolet Silverado truck struck a silver Toyota Camry first and then bounced into a blue Toyota Corolla with all three vehicles coming to rest in the southbound lanes.
• A motorcyclist was seriously injured on January 28, 2011 in a motorcycle crash on Highway 67 at Willow Road.
• A 34-year-old Ramona man was killed when his bicycle struck a flatbed trailer hauling heavy equipment on State Route 67 at Kalbaugh Street on January 21, 2011.
• A 54-year-old Ramona bicyclist was struck and killed on Highway 67 in Ramona on September 11, 2010. Alcohol was suspected to play a role in that fatal collision.
• Three people were injured, including a 12-year-old boy, on March 12, 2010 in a head-on collision on Highway 67 in the Poway area, south of Scripps Poway Parkway.
• A Valley Center man died in a SUV rollover accident on Highway 67 on February 21, 2010.
• A Ramona woman died in a head-on collision on Highway 67 in the Lakeside area on January 26, 2010.
• A 25-year-old woman was killed and three others were injured in a head-on collision on Highway 67 in the Ramona area on March 29, 2009. Illegal road racing was a factor in that collision.
• A pedestrian was struck by a car on Highway 67 near Mapleview Street on March 13, 2009.
• A 35-year-old Ramona woman was killed and four people were injured in a head-on collision on Highway 67 near Mt. Woodson on December 28, 2008.
• A Lakeside Couple killed in a head-on collision on Highway 67 near Archie Moore Road on October 24, 2008, when a 19-year-old driver swerved into oncoming traffic and collided with their vehicle.
• A 47-year-old Lakeside man died on May 19, 2008 in an accident southbound Route 67 near the transition to westbound Interstate 8.

Loss of Extra CHP Enforcement Funding

From 2007 to 2010, the California Highway Patrol and Caltrans teamed up to raise safety awareness on Highway 67. Caltrans funded a $2.6 million project to launch a “Take Care Getting There” educational sign campaign, which included installation of safety features like widened shoulders, additional traffic signals, “rumble strips” to alert distracted or dozing drivers, and electronic speed signs. Using an additional $264,000 from a state grant, the CHP increased enforcement along the route, and the number of citations issued was nearly doubled as a result. However, funding for increased enforcement dried up at the end of 2010, and Highway 67 remains a dangerous backcountry corridor, with more traffic than ever. Caltrans reported in 2010 that studies are underway for long-range improvements to the route.

Advocates for Highway 67 Accident Victims

The attorneys at Estey Bomberger have represented numerous victims of car accidents on Highway 67, including head-on collisions and motorcycle accidents. We understand the unique legal issues that are relevant in accidents occurring on this notoriously dangerous highway. If you have been injured or have lost a loved one in a collision on Highway 67, contact us to discuss your rights with a knowledgeable Highway 67 accident attorney at Estey Bomberger. You may be entitled to compensation from whoever is responsible for your injuries or loved one’s death in a personal injury or wrongful death claim. To speak with a lawyer, call us anytime or request a free consultation.