Vehicle Rollover on San Miguel Road Yesterday

San Miguel Road has become a real hotbed of insanity in the last six weeks. There has been a car fire, a drunk driver running a security gate, a helicopter looking for a felon on the run . . . all in less than a month and a half.

Yesterday it was a vehicle rollover.

Click on images to enlarge.

I got a call around 1:30PM from a neighbor who had come across the accident. He and other do gooders had assisted the man in climbing out of the window of his car. The man spoke no english. I was asked if I might find his relatives.

I called around and found the family he belonged to. They had no idea and two nieces arrived immediately.

Once assured that no one was injured and it wasn't a macabre scene, I grabbed my three-year-old grandson and headed to the scene to see if I could be of any help.

Bonita-Sunnyside firefighters were already there and were soon followed by two California Highway Patrol and a tow truck.

The tow truck driver put the vehicle back on its feet like a pro! | Click on images to enlarge.

The older gentleman had not slept well the night before and fell asleep behind the wheel.

He had driven off San Miguel Road and knocked two landscaping boulders off their perches before continuing on a little further.

I don't know how he flipped his car. It could have been that he drove on top of a third boulder that tipped the car. My guess is that he awoke in time to swerve and avoid the tie down and telephone pole just a few feet away. This would have caused the car to flip. Or maybe the right rear tire popping had something to do with it. It's anyone's guess.

Holes show where boulders had been located. Look closely at the first photo and you can see two boulders together. The original placement of the boulders had equal spacing between them and were set back from the roadway. | Click on images to enlarge.

The most important thing is that he was not injured in any way and—as the car was towed away—felt well enough to begin the walk home. The nieces chased him down and put him in their car.

In the photo above, you can see the telephone on the right and the electrical pole coming up on the left. It could have been so much worse. | Click on image to enlarge.

Kudos to our local firemen who directed traffic, took control of the situation and kept it all calm. With all that activity going on, they still managed to crown my grandson with a fire hat and sticker!

Return to Main Page