Car Accidents

August 10, 2010 - According to the CHP, on Tuesday an SUV that was southbound on Interstate 395 near Bishop, California drifted onto the right shoulder and then veered back onto the highway before overturning and rolling across the center divider into the northbound lanes where it struck a van.  There were five people inside the SUV.  The impact caused the SUV to catch fire.  The van was one of three vans from California Baptist University (CBU) carrying approximately 45 cross-country runners from the women's and men's teams.  School officials said the student-athletes were on their way to Mammoth for high-altitude training.  CBU is a private Christian college in Riverside, California.  School officials said the long distance runners were on their way to Mammoth for high-altitude training.  A Subaru heading northbound behind the vans hit the burning SUV too.  In all, three people died and 16 were injured.  A 35-year-old cheerleading coach from Corona, California who was riding in the van was among those killed in the car accident.  The other two fatalities were riding in the SUV.  CHP officials reported that a deputy rescued one person from the burning SUV, but when the deputy returned to try to pull another person out, he was prevented from entering the vehicle by the intense heat from the flames.  The CHP said another person was burned and ejected from the SUV.  That person walked by the deputy but died on the roadway.  The three survivors in the SUV were all listed in extremely critical condition.  They had third-degree burns.  One athlete riding in the van was in extremely critical condition, two others were listed in critical condition and three were receiving medical attention for multiple fractures.  Six students sustained minor personal injuries and had already been released from the hospital.  The CHP said the Subaru driver suffered third-degree burns to an upper extremity.  The crash is still under investigation.  The CHP has not found any indication that drugs or alcohol were a factor.  Please call a trusted Sonoma County Personal Injury attorney for a free consultation if you or a loved one have suffered injuries in a car accident or a wrongful death.