Wrong-Way Driver Leaves Three Injured
Three people were seriously injured early Saturday morning when a wrong-way driver crashed into their vehicle on Ardath Road in La Jolla, police said.
The victims had to be cut from their car by firefighters, police said, and the driver of the other vehicle tried to flee the scene. He was captured and arrested on suspicion of a felony offense of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, police said.
The arrested man, Abel Ramirez, 35, was driving east in the westbound lanes of Ardath about 3 a.m. when the accident occurred, police said. Ramirez was treated for a broken foot after his arrest.
The driver of the other car was identified by police as Julie Pecham, 22. She was taken to Mercy Hospital, where she was in serious but stable condition with head, chest and leg injuries.
The front-seat passenger, Steve Petix, 20, and back-seat passenger, Janet Grakauskas, 26, were in serious condition with similar injuries at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla.
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