On Saturday November 13th, 21 people of the Saddletramps Motorcycle Club were riding 80 miles outside of San Diego on Route 98 when a man in a Dodge Avenger swerved into them. Four of the riders and the driver’s companion in the passenger seat were killed instantly.
Though the driver, Carlos Ramirez, was later arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence, Carl Smith, president of the motorcycle club, does not blame him for this tragedy.
What caused Ramirez, who was going 5 miles under the speed limit, to swerve into the motorcyclists was a Honda Civic that sped past him, forcing Ramirez off the road.
According to this article:
Smith doesn’t blame Ramirez, despite the allegation that he was driving under the influence. He considers Ramirez a victim because his companion died.“It looked like he overreacted, but the guy in the Honda Civic was at fault,” said Smith, who estimated the Civic was going 95 mph when it passed the motorcycles.”
However, California Highway Patrol Officer DeeAnn Goudie remarked that had Ramirez gone off to the right, he would have landed safely in the sand.
It’s unclear whether or not he was under the influence at the time of the accident and whether or not it was a contributing factor to the deaths and injuries of the motorcyclists.
What are your thoughts on this tragedy?
