DUI suspect arrested after wrong-way crash claims 2 lives in Pala

Publish Date: 2023/09/20

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA — A 43-year-old man has been placed under custody after a head-on crash early Wednesday in Pala that claimed the lives of two people, reports ABC10 News.

California Highway Patrol officials said the fatal wreck occurred on State Route 76 at Pala Mission Road, near Pala Casino Spa Resort, shortly after 12:00 a.m.

A preliminary investigation found that the suspect, Jesus Muñoz, was driving a maroon Nissan Xterra SUV eastbound. At one point, the Nissan veered into the westbound lanes of the highway and collided head-on with an oncoming white Toyota RAV4 SUV driven by a 65-year-old Vista man.

The victim driver and his passenger, a 59-year-old woman, were both pronounced deceased at the scene, confirmed officials.

First responders rushed Muñoz to a local hospital with injuries believed to be major but non-life-threatening. Authorities indicated that a pit bull who was traveling in the SUV was transferred to the custody of animal control officers. The dog is expected to make a recovery.

According to the CHP, Muñoz faces several charges, including “felony driving under the influence (DUI)” and those related to the deaths of the victims.

Disclaimer: Many of the accidents we report on are preventable. Our hope is that by publishing information about severe accidents, we can equip readers with the information they need to avoid finding themselves involved in such a tragedy. These stories are painful, but real, as they are sourced from news outlets. Outlets sometimes update their published reports. If information on this blog is outdated or incorrect, please let us know so we can update our posting to the most up-to-date information. These posts do not contain legal advice and should not be construed in such a way.

Ross Jurewitz

Ross Jurewitz is the founder and managing lawyer of the Jurewitz Law Group, a San Diego personal injury attorney law firm. These San Diego injury accident lawyers specialize in helping people seriously injured in a variety of accidents throughout San Diego County and California.

Connect with Ross Jurewitz on Google+