A tragic collision in San Diego's Bay Terraces neighborhood on August 1, claimed the lives of an elderly husband and wife, Ernest and Olivia Acuna. This devastating accident occurred around 9:24 p.m. in the 1500 block of South Woodman Street, when a vehicle carrying four occupants, including the Acuna couple, crashed into another car while making a left turn onto Jamie Avenue; this heartbreaking event has led the couple's daughter Lucy Acuna to plead for action to be taken regarding the dangerous intersection where the accident took place as reported by NBC San Diego.
The impact of the collision resulted in 76-year-old Ernest Acuna, being unrestrained, and ejected from the vehicle, as reported by the San Diego Police Department (SDPD); tragically, he was pronounced dead at the scene, per FOX 5 San Diego. Meanwhile, his 74-year-old wife Olivia suffered severe injuries in the crash and was rushed to Scripps Mercy Hospital in Hillcrest, where she too passed away.
As a daughter who just lost both her parents in the accident, Lucy Acuna found herself understandably mourning her parents while also expressing her concerns over the safety conditions at the intersection where this tragic event unfolded according to NBC San Diego. This is an intersection that Martha Roman, one of the Acunas' neighbors, also considers dangerous, describing how accidents are frequently caused by drivers who use the street as an opportunity for speeding.
During their investigation into the crash, the SDPD found that a 24-year-old man was driving a Honda heading south and a 56-year-old man was driving a 2006 Kia Sedona in the opposite direction when the Kia attempted to turn onto Woodman without yielding the right of way. These findings suggest that the actions of the Kia's driver could have been a contributing factor to the otherwise avoidable accident that left the Acuna family and their community in mourning.
Another neighbor, Barbara Reid, shared her grief with NBC San Diego, describing the relationship Ernest and Olivia Acuna had within their small, close-knit cul-de-sac of less than a dozen homes, saying, "This cul-de-sac is not going to be the same without them,".
