Investigation continues into cause of fatal Lemon Grove accident, child remains hospitalized with serious injury

LEMON GROVE (KUSI) —  2/2/2017 — An investigation was continuing Thursday into a collision at an intersection near Monterey Heights Park in Lemon Grove that killed a young woman, two children and two dogs.

The victims were among the five occupants of a 2006 Acura RSX sedan that was struck by a southbound 2003 Dodge Durango while turning onto westbound Massachusetts Avenue from northbound Lemon Grove Avenue shortly after 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Two passengers — an 18-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy — died at the scene, along with two of four dogs that were also in the car, according to sheriff’s officials and the county Medical Examiner’s Office.

An 8-year-old girl later died at a hospital.

The victims’ names were not immediately available.

A 4-year-old girl who was riding in the Acura and its 20-year-old driver suffered serious injuries in the crash and were hospitalized. The man behind the wheel of the Durango was evaluated at a hospital and has since been released, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Jorge Dueno.

Dueno said alcohol or drugs were not suspected in the crash and no criminal charges had been filed.

A GoFundMe page has been setup by friends of the family to raise money for funeral expenses and it identifies the 18-year-old female victim as Lizbeth Soto.

Anyone with additional information on the crash was asked to call the sheriff’s department at (858) 565-5200.

2/1/2017 10:00 p.m. — Three people — ages 18, 14 and 7 — were killed Wednesday in a vehicle collision in Lemon Grove.

A black Acura carrying a 20-year-old female, hospitalized with serious injury, an 18-year-old female pronounced dead on scene, a 13-year-old boy pronounced dead on scene, a 7-year-old female who died at Rady Children’s Hospital and a 3 to 4-year-old girl with serious injury at Rady Children’s, collided with a Dodge Durango.

The two-vehicle accident happened just after 4 p.m. and the driver of the Dodge Durango was hospitalized with serious injury, but was expected to be released late Wednesday night. 

The crash also claimed the lives of two dogs, and seriously injured a third, but it was unclear which vehicle they were in. 

Local residents said motorists routinely speed through the intersection at Lemon Grove and Massachusetts Avenues and that there are often children walking in the area. 

Law enforcement officials are still investigating the cause of the horrific accident. 

9:17 p.m. — A collision at an intersection near Monterey Heights Park late Wednesday afternoon injured six people, two fatally, killed a dog and left another canine badly hurt, authorities reported.

The fatal wreck at Lemon Grove and Massachusetts avenues in Lemon Grove occurred shortly after 4 p.m., said Sonny Saghera, spokesman for Heartland Fire & Rescue.

Two people died at the accident scene. Medics took four others, including two children, to trauma centers, Saghera said. The severity of their injuries was not immediately clear.

A dog riding in one of the vehicles died at the site of the crash, and another suffered severe injuries, according to Saghera. Animal-control personnel were called in to evaluate and tend to one that survived.

The accident left both streets closed in the area until further notice.