The fiery crash that killed a 13-year-old boy in Rainbow last month was caused when SUV driven by the victim’s mother failed to yield to traffic on Old Highway 395.
The 22-page investigative report on the accident was completed by the CHP August 13, just days before Jorge Vasquez was laid to rest.
Vasquez was sitting in the front passenger seat when his mother, Silvia Campos, drove her vehicle across the highway at Rainbow Glen Road. She didn’t make it. Her car was struck by an oncoming truck which the CHP says had the right of way.
Campos and her 6-year-old daughter were rushed to local hospitals with serious injuries. Jorge, a well-liked teen whose friends said had a great sense of humor, died on the scene.
Jorge’s death has re-ignited calls to put a 4-way stop at the intersection. It has also prompted hundreds of people to sign a Change.org petition which encourages government officials to take measures to keep drivers from taking shortcuts through Rainbow during rush hour.
“We’ve got people that are coming through, they’re frustrated with the traffic, they’re passing unsafely, they’re crossing double yellow lines, they’re speeding,” said Michele Sheehan, who organized the petition drive.
Sheehan says when the I-15 freeway is backed up between Escondido and Temecula, impatient drivers spill onto Rainbow’s streets.
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“It’s a safety issue. It’s dangerous,” Sheehan told NBC 7. Her petition asks governmental agencies to consider adding a new carpool or FasTrak lane on the freeway to help traffic flow and keep drivers from looking for shortcuts.
Sheehan’s petition has gotten traction after the death of Jorge Vasquez.
“I hate that this is the thing that brought all the attention to it because that was a child who had a future,” she said.
The crash also prompted San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond to ask the county’s Department of Public Works to revisit the idea of installing a four-way stop at the intersection.
A fundraiser for the Vasquez family is scheduled for Thursday, August 22 at Rainbow Park from 5 to 7 p.m.
