A 21-year-old San Diego man suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol when he slammed head-on into a car carrying a family of five has been released from jail after posting bail, his attorney confirmed.
On Wednesday – with his right leg and left wrist bandaged, sitting in a hospital bed, Shane McDonald pleaded not guilty to two counts of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and five counts of felony DUI causing injury or death in connection with the May 2 wrong-way crash that killed two members of a family and injured three others on Interstate 15 near Scripps Ranch.
Defense attorney Lindsay Mercer told NBC 7 McDonald was released from the hospital and booked into jail. He has since posted bail and is now staying at an undisclosed location so he can continue to receive medical treatment for injuries he sustained in the deadly collision.
On Saturday Mercer said McDonald and his extended family, both in San Diego and in Guam, where he is originally from, will be spending this weekend “praying and holding vigils for everyone affected by this tragic accident.”
At McDonald’s arraignment earlier this week, Mercer said her client is a student and “rarely drinks.” She said the suspect and his family are heartbroken and devastated for all involved.
The Deputy District Attorney on the case said McDonald’s actions killed two members of a family and left three others seriously injured within a matter of seconds.
According to CHP officials, the deadly crash happened around 3:10 a.m. on southbound I-15 north of Mira Mesa Boulevard.
The CHP said McDonald was driving his black Audi A4 in the wrong direction in the express lanes of the freeway when he collided head-on with the Honda Civic carrying five people.
The Honda Civic changed lanes to avoid the collision with the wrong-way driver, but the wrong-way driver simultaneously did the same maneuver and the vehicles collided head-on.
The CHP said the Honda Civic came to rest in the freeway lane while the Audi was high-sided on the concrete barrier.
The impact was so strong, officials said, both the driver of the Honda Civic — 55-year-old Escondido resident Rodolfo De La Torre, 55, and his 84-year-old passenger and relative Teresa Esparza Hernandez died at the scene.
Officials said at least one person was ejected from one of the mangled cars.
Meanwhile, fire crews had to pry out three more passengers from the back seat of the Honda Civic, De La Torre’s wife, Angelica, and their two children, Julio and Carolina, ages 21 and 19.
McDonald also had to be extricated from his car.
The De La Torre family told NBC 7 the surviving family members were taken to the ICU at Scripps La Jolla and the ICU at Sharp. Angelica and Julio suffered broken necks, head trauma and severe abdomen injuries from their seat belts. Carolina suffered broken ribs, broken clavicle and head trauma.
On Saturday, the De La Torre family confirmed all three surviving family members were in stable condition and “living day-to-day.”
The family was driving to the Tijuana airport to catch a 6 a.m. flight to Aguascalientes, Mexico, when they were hit by McDonald.
CHP officials said he admitted that he had smoked marijuana on the morning of the crash and had drank too much.
The driver, who has no previous criminal history, faces 20 years in prison if convicted.
