One of the victims in a wrong-way collision involving a driver who struck a group of cyclists on Fiesta Island described the scene as “carnage” in testimony Thursday.
San Diego resident Theresa Owens, 50, faces charges of felony DUI and possession of a controlled substance in the chaotic wrong-way crash that took down the cyclists on Aug. 12, 2014.
She listened as victims in the collision described not only how the crash occurred but also her behavior immediately following the crash.
“I got launched over the car,” cyclist Steve Hale testified as he described how the impact of the crash pushed him 10 to 15 feet over Owens’ car.
“I remember hitting the front of the car and then I remember hitting my head a few times on the roadway,” he testified.
Hale had to undergo surgery for a fractured elbow. He said he still can’t completely straighten his arm.
He testified that Owens was immediately on the phone after the crash and seemed to be agitated.
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Hale was the second cyclist in line, directly behind Juan Carlos Vinolo.
Vinolo, who was paralyzed from the chest down in the crash, also testified Thursday. He spent a month in intensive care followed by months of rehab. He also lost a kidney in the crash.
"There's not one thing that hasn't been affected in my day-to-day life because of this," he said describing how he needs help with daily tasks.
Under cross-examination, Hale testified the group was riding 2x2 and had just turned a blind corner with an obstructed view moments before the crash.
When Owens was arrested at the crash site, prosecutors allege a bag of methamphetamine was found in her vagina.
Last month, after hearing testimony from psychiatrists, a judge ruled Owens was fit to stand trial.
A psychiatrist who evaluated Owens said she had bipolar disorder marked by persistent delusions about her mother and boyfriend. The psychiatrist said Owens was having a hallucination that her boyfriend “appeared and disappeared” during the crash on Fiesta Island.
NBC 7 will be following testimony and offering updates on NBC 7 News at 4.
