No Charges in Suspected DUI Crash That Hospitalized 8; on Jackson Drive

An 18-year-old San Diego man suspected of drunken driving hasn’t been charged after a two-vehicle crash a few blocks outside La Mesa on Jackson Drive that sent eight people to the hospital, authorities said.

Two of the victims suffered major injuries, police said.

The crash occurred about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday on Jackson Drive and Lake Badin Avenue in the Lake Murray section of San Carlos, according to San Diego police Officer Dino Delimitros.

“The 18-year-old man was not arrested and has not been charged at this time,” said police Lt. Andra Brown of the San Diego Police Department.

His name will not be released, Brown said Wednesday morning.

The teen was driving a Dodge Charger with four passengers northbound on Jackson Drive near Lake Murray Boulevard when he crashed into a Dodge SUV occupied by a man and his three children, ages 1, 3 and 7, Delimitros said.

A total of eight people from both vehicles were taken to area hospitals, including all three children and their father.

“The driver of the Charger is suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol,” Delimitros said.

It was not immediately clear if the suspect is among the injured.

Channel 10 News posted a series of photos of the incident.

NBC San Diego reported Wednesday that a year-old girl was ejected from the family's SUV when it flipped over and the Dodge was carrying five teenagers.

“The vehicle ended up crossing both north and south bound lanes of traffic ending up in Kimberly Lopez's front yard,” said the news station, which also posted video of the crash scene.

Lopez was quoted as saying:

"We heard a screeching noise. Then when we came out we saw the car on our front lawn and the other car in the street and a women yelling to help a baby that was stuck underneath the other car. So my husband got some other neighbors and they lifted up the car to get the little girl out from underneath.”

City News Service contributed to this report.