A 26-year-old man was hospitalized with serious injuries Friday night after police say he lost control of his speeding Tesla and slammed into a curb and a tree while entering a condo complex driveway in La Jolla. San Diego Police Department officers and San Diego Fire-Rescue crews responded at about 8:30 p.m. to the 8700 block of Villa La Jolla Drive, where the driver was found with a pelvic fracture, fractured lower vertebrae, two broken ribs, pulmonary contusions and a concussion.
According to NBC 7 San Diego, the driver entered the private driveway of the Woodlands North condominium complex at a high rate of speed in his 2025 Tesla Model 3 before losing control and colliding with a curb and a tree further down the driveway. He was transported by ambulance to a local hospital, and the SDPD Traffic Division responded to handle the crash investigation. Officer David O'Brien said DUI was determined to be a factor in the collision.
The Woodlands North complex, a 120-unit townhome community built in 1979, sits roughly one mile south of the University of California, San Diego campus, per Luxury SoCal Realty. The property sits on Via Alicante, which runs off Genesee Avenue.
A Corridor Already Flagged for Speed
The crash lands on a stretch of roadway the city has already singled out for its crash history. In March, the city's plan identified Villa La Jolla Drive between Gilman Drive and La Jolla Village Drive as a safety corridor, but any speed-limit changes would require further evaluation and City Council approval, according to the La Jolla Light. Citywide traffic safety data released the same month shows more than 180 collisions across San Diego result in death or severe injury each year, with speeding cited as one of the leading contributing factors.
The corridor's history of severe collisions predates this month's crash. In April 2019, a 23-year-old driver on Villa La Jolla Drive ran a red light and struck a 15-year-old scooter rider in a crosswalk, leaving the teen with a compound ankle fracture, as reported by Times of San Diego.
Potential Legal Exposure
Should prosecutors move forward with charges, California Vehicle Code Section 23153 treats driving under the influence resulting in bodily injury as a wobbler offense, meaning it can be filed as either a misdemeanor or a felony. Penalties range from up to one year in county jail to four years in state prison, plus fines of up to $5,000, according to the Kraut Law Group. Beyond criminal penalties, an offender may also face court fines, legal fees, mandatory education programs and insurance increases.
Part of a Broader Pattern
This crash is a severe single-vehicle collision in La Jolla with DUI identified as a factor. Statewide, DUI-attributed crashes in California resulted in an annual average of more than 800 deaths and nearly 20,000 injuries between 2023 and 2025, per data compiled by the California Highway Patrol from the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System.
Local agencies have been ramping up enforcement in response. In July, the San Diego City Attorney's Office joined the California Highway Patrol, the San Diego County District Attorney's Office and Mothers Against Drunk Driving to launch a countywide public service campaign focused on DUI prevention, according to Inside San Diego. San Diego County law enforcement agencies and CHP officers have participated in DUI-prevention efforts across the region.
