San Diego

Details Emerge About 3 Victims Killed in Crash Near City College

Investigators still trying to contact families of men killed on Monday

San Diego firefighters and police officers respond to the scene of a crash that left several people injured near San Diego City College in downtown.
NBC 7

The three people killed when a driver plowed through a homeless camp on a sidewalk in downtown San Diego were all men — ages 40, 61 and 65 — who died of “multiple blunt force injuries," according to a report from the San Diego County Medical Examiner's office released Tuesday.

Officials have not released the identities of the men.

Authorities were still trying to find their families, which can take time because of the men's transient lives, San Diego police Lt. Shawn Takeuchi said.

Six others were hurt, including five who were taken to a hospital. Takeuchi said he had no details on their conditions, though he noted two who were in critical condition had shown improvement late Monday.

Three people were killed and several others were injured when a driver plowed onto a sidewalk under a tunnel near San Diego City College. NBC 7’s Audra Stafford has more information on the tragedy.

The tragedy illustrates the inherent danger California’s homeless population faces living on the streets.

Police say the 71-year-old driver, Craig Voss, was impaired when he headed through a tunnel underneath a community college campus and drove his Volvo station wagon up on the sidewalk shortly after 9 a.m. Monday.

He faces three counts of vehicular manslaughter, five counts of causing great bodily harm and a felony DUI. It wasn’t immediately known if Voss had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.

Voss, who was arrested at the scene, did a field sobriety test by a drug recognition expert, though police have not identified whether Voss was under the influence of alcohol or other substance.

A witness described the scene like a nightmare. Three people died and several others were hurt when a driver believed to be under the influence slammed into tents in a tunnel known to house houseless San Diegans near San Diego City College.

The body metabolizes prescription drugs and illicit narcotics in the same way, Takeuchi said. Police also ask about medical conditions as part of their routine investigation, and more details are expected to come out in court, he said.

Authorities had received a call before the crash that a man in a Volvo station wagon appeared to be driving while impaired, police said.

Authorities and witnesses provide updates on the deadly crash that killed several pedestrians and injured more on March 15, 2021.

San Diego homeless advocate Michael McConnell said Monday's crash was the latest one to occur. Last month, two homeless men sleeping under bushes in Escondido, north of San Diego, were run over and killed when an SUV veered onto a sidewalk.

“This is just the latest tragedy within a horrible crisis called homelessness," he said.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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