Highway 14 has been the site of serious and sometimes deadly crashes over the past month. On June 29, there were two more. Separate accidents on that day caused the death of one person, and injuries to several others. They also left traffic backed up for hours in 100-plus degree heat near Agua Dulce, California.
The first crash occurred around 11:30 a.m. when a big rig truck hit a car that was pulled over on northbound Highway 14 near Agua Dulce Canyon Road. There were two people with the disabled car when the collision occurred. One died immediately, and the other was airlifted by helicopter to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital for treatment. According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the big rig left the scene of the accident. The driver was later stopped by a CHP officer.
The second car accident occurred just over an hour later, at 12:45 p.m., also on northbound Highway 14. This crash involved a number of cars, one of which was overturned in the accident. There were injuries, but no deaths reported.
As a result of these two crashes, the northbound Highway 14 was shut down north of Agua Dulce Canyon Road until nearly 5:00 p.m., backing up traffic to Soledad Canyon Road, and resulting in overheated cars because of the extreme heat.
These crashes follow closely on the heels of two other serious crashes in the same area, both allegedly caused by wrong-way drivers, in the past two weeks. On June 22, a driver struck and killed two people in a head-on collision on the northbound Highway 14 just south of Escondido Canyon Road. A 38-year-old man has been charged with murder in that crash. On June 17, another crash on Highway 14 injured 13 people.
Whenever someone has been injured or killed in a car accident, it is always advisable for the family to hire an Irvine car accident attorney to ensure that the person at fault is held responsible for any medical costs and other damages. It is best to find a law firm that has experience representing victims of collisions.
Source: SignalSCV.com, “Highway 14 reopens after afternoon crashes” Luke Money, Jun. 29, 2013