Families Trying to Put Lives Back Together After Fatal Collision

It was to have been a family reunion of sorts.

The Olmsted family traveled all the way from West Germany to attend the funeral of Alta Olmsted’s father, and took comfort in the company of her sister’s family.

They all stayed at the Costa Mesa apartment where the sister, Susan St. Clair, and her two daughters lived. The Olmsteds and the St. Clairs had spent about two weeks together after the funeral, visiting and catching up on family news, when tragedy struck.

The two families were driving home from dinner at the Sizzler when their car collided with one driven by a man who was later arrested for drunk driving. The July 17 accident killed Susan St. Clair and left Alta Olmsted’s husband, Roger, hospitalized in a coma. The Olmsted daughters, Dana and Jennifer, are still recovering from injuries sustained in the crash.

“We’ve already lost one member of our family and we may lose another and people just don’t realize” what it means to drive while intoxicated, said Alta Olmsted, 39.

St. Clair suffered massive injuries and died in surgery at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo, leaving behind two daughters and a son.

“She was a beautiful person,” Alta Olmsted said of her sister as the family gathered at St. Clair’s two-bedroom apartment, where they are staying.

The Olmsteds now spend most of their time at UCI Medical Center in Orange, where Roger Olmsted, an Air Force master sergeant, is listed in critical condition with massive internal injuries.

They don’t know when they will be able to return home to West Germany, where Roger Olmsted has been stationed for five years. In the meantime, several community groups have banded together to help them.

Without the help of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Victim-Witness Assistance, Harbor Area FISH, and other agencies, Alta Olmsted said the family would have been unable to pay for groceries or the $810 monthly rent for St. Clair’s apartment.

Today, the Costa Mesa Police Officers Assn. is planning to donate $500 to the family.

“Unfortunately we are always confronted with the ill effects of driving under the influence and what it does to innocent people,” said Sgt. Loren Wyrick. “We were able to provide at least a little interim relief until they are able to get some funds available.”

Although Roger Olmsted is still receiving active duty pay, the money is in Germany. Dana and Jennifer Olmsted cannot return to work because they are physically unable to fly, and even if they could, they’re not ready to leave.

“Even if we do get (medically) released, I’m not going back until I know my dad’s OK,” said Jennifer Olmsted.

Little help has come from the Air Force, the family said. Alta Olmsted said officials told her that she must travel to March Air Force Base in Riverside County to receive aid.

“I don’t even have a car and I can’t afford to rent a car,” Alta Olmsted said. “And my place is with my husband and my children right now.”

Mothers Against Drunk Driving has been trying to help the Olmsteds pick up the pieces.

“People just don’t think about what happens after the crash,” said Janet Cater, a spokeswoman for MADD. “It’s really devastating when it’s not even where you’re living and this happens.”

Meanwhile, the district attorney’s office is considering the case against Brian Klamm, 27, of Costa Mesa, the driver whose vehicle struck the Olmsted and St. Clair families.

Police said a Jeep driven by Klamm at up to 70 m.p.m. rear-ended another car on Wilson Street west of College Avenue. Klamm’s Jeep veered into a car driven by Roger Olmsted. Klamm, who, according to police, had two prior DUI convictions and was driving with a suspended license, suffered a broken leg.

He was arrested and released. Police have recommended to the district attorney’s office that he be charged with manslaughter with gross negligence and suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol, Wyrick said.

Klamm, whose license was suspended because his insurance had lapsed, could not be reached for comment.

“He shouldn’t have been driving, especially after two convictions and without his license,” said Dana Olmsted, 21, who must use a walker because she suffered multiple fractures of her pelvis in the crash.

After his first drunk-driving conviction in 1982, Klamm was sentenced to three days in jail, three years’ probation, 100 hours of community service and fined $600, records show. For the second offense, he was ordered to pay a $700 fine, serve 45 days in jail, seek professional counseling and attend chemical dependency seminars, according to records.

The families said there should be stricter penalties for drunk driving, more education, more awareness, better public transportation and more consideration.

“We want everyone out there on the road to be careful and watch out for each other,” said Jennifer Olmsted, 18, who is in a brace with a crushed vertebra and two broken vertebrae. “If you’re trying to get to your doctor’s appointment, somebody else might be trying to get to their appointment, too.”