ENCINITAS — A 12-year-old girl was killed in a two-vehicle collision on April 26, and an investigation by San Diego County Sheriff’s Office detectives is underway.
Deputies from the department’s North Coastal Sheriff’s Station responded to a report of a collision involving a vehicle and a pedestrian at 6:51 p.m. Friday at Encinitas Boulevard and Village Square Drive, the Sheriff’s Office said.
According to preliminary details, a 44-year-old man who was driving a Nissan Xterra west collided with a southbound Ford Fusion driven by another 44 44-year-old man. The Xterra then struck the girl, who was walking in the crosswalk, deputies said. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Both drivers remained on scene and were not injured in the collision.
The cause of the crash is under investigation by North Coastal Station Traffic investigators and the sheriff’s Traffic Accident Reconstruction Team.
The use of alcohol or drugs is not believed to be a factor in the investigation, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Anyone who witnessed the collision or may have captured it on video was asked to call 858-565-5200. Callers may also remain anonymous by calling San Diego County Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477 or by visiting www.sdcrimestoppers.org.
2 comments
She got killed because of speeding. Xterra in lane 1. Ford in lane 2. Ford tries to overtake the Xterra and clips itself—basically like a PIT maneuver—and swings onto the crosswalk. That explains the position of the debris. It explains why the front bumper ended up in the middle of the intersection and why the Ford has damage on the rear left quarter.
Most likely, the Ford was trying to avoid a slower car turning right into Trader Joe’s—not even trying to beat the light, just speeding. The Xterra might’ve sped up too—because of weak masculinity. Let’s be honest: both of them are 44-year-old men. One drives an Xterra, the other a Ford Fusion. It’s the exact kind of subtle ego standoff you see all the time—no words, no signals, just one guy refusing to let another guy pass because it bruises his pride. Not racing, just posturing. The real escalation probably didn’t even happen until the last 3 to 5 seconds.
That section of road is a high-speed zone. Cognitively, it needs to be lane-dieted. Narrow the lanes, slow the cars. That alone would prevent deaths like this. A barricaded bike lane would be the perfect way to tighten the corridor—and it would’ve also saved the Hispanic guy who got killed cycling there last December.
So yeah, this wasn’t “just an accident.” It was predictable. It was systemic. And it was preventable.
Thanks for your comment. There is no reference to this collision as “just an accident” in our reporting. While there is a lot of speculation about what may have occurred, the fact is we don’t know precisely what happened. We look forward to continuing to report on this story as more information is released.