Although his injuries seemed non-serious at the time, a 19-year-old man has spent the last month in an area hospital.
According to his father, the victim was in a car traveling from Chula Vista to celebrate his birthday with friends at night in downtown San Diego. Then, the car drove off the Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway (State Route 94), went airborne over the northbound I-5 Freeway, and came to a stop in the southbound lanes.
“You couldn’t tell what kind of car it was,” he said on April 10, 2025. “There was no roof. The engine was twenty feet down the road. The transmission was in the middle of the 5 Freeway. There was debris scattered everywhere. It looked like a bomb had gone off. It was completely destroyed.”
Doctors initially believed the man’s injuries were limited to bruises and lacerations. But then some CT scans showed “severe damage to his abdomen.” The father explained the victim had Crohn’s Disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that impacts the body’s immune system.
As a result, he’s undergone three major surgeries and several other procedures to address internal bleeding and other issues.
His dad said the victim, who was a senior at Pacific View Charter School, wants to start his own business.
Oceanside, a beach city, is the most populous community in the North County area. The city is a popular tourist destination, owing to its historic landmarks, beaches, and architecture.