A church pastor was killed and two others seriously injured in a head on collision involving a driver under the influence of alcohol on the wrong side of the highway early Saturday morning in Lancaster.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the crash took place just after 3:30 a.m. in the northbound lanes of the 14 Freeway near Escondido Canyon Road, where a Toyota Tundra pickup truck heading in the wrong direction crashed directly into a Chrysler 300 sedan carrying 77 year old Dr. Manard Giles, pastor of The Answer Community Church of God in Christ in Lancaster, and two others. The three were reportedly on their way home after a church function in San Diego.
Dr. Giles was pronounced dead at the scene by accident responders, while a 47 year old Lancaster man was airlifted to a nearby hospital in critical condition. An unidentified woman also suffered serious injuries in the collision, and was taken by ambulance to another area hospital. More information on the two passengers has yet to be released.
The driver of the Tundra pickup truck, Burbank resident Bradford Pate, was then arrested at the scene on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, marking the second alcohol induced fatal wrong way accident on the 14 Freeway within the past week.
Following the accident, CHP officers shut down all northbound lanes of the 14 Freeway as cleanup crews worked to remove the two vehicles from the scene, which could no longer function on their own. Traffic through the area was diverted onto Agua Dulce Canyon Road, near the sight of last Monday’s fatal collision of identical circumstances, until lanes were finally reopened several hours later.
If you or someone you know has been hurt in a wrong way collision such as this, there are legal protections in place to help get you back onto your feet. With the help of an experienced Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, compensation can be recovered from those at fault to help pay for the damages you’ve sustained, including replacing wages lost from time spent away from work.
At AA Accident Attorneys, our team of legal professionals will carefully explain your available options and get you the assistance you need in the meantime. As always, we will charge you nothing for our services until your case is won. If we do not collect on your case, then you will owe us nothing. Call us today for a free evaluation and to learn more about what we can do to start you out on the road to recovery.
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