ENCINITAS — A 73-year-old man was struck and killed by a vehicle after getting out of his vehicle to render aid at a multi-vehicle crash on northbound Interstate 5 in Encinitas on Saturday, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Berhane Woldemicael, of San Diego, was struck about 3:05 a.m. on Sept. 12 just north of Leucadia Boulevard and pronounced dead at the scene at 3:10 a.m., according to the medical examiner’s office.
Emergency personnel responded to a crash involving at least three vehicles. Woldemicael, who was involved in the initial collision, got out to render aid before being struck by another vehicle, according to the report.
The collision involved at least three vehicles, including a black SUV, a Nissan Sentra and a Honda Civic, according to the California Highway Patrol. Authorities did not immediately specify which vehicle Woldemicael had occupied or which vehicle struck him.
The CHP issued a SigAlert at 3:17 a.m. while authorities investigated.
His daughter, Meri Williams, provided the correct spelling of her father’s name, which the medical examiner’s report misspelled. In an email to The Coast News, she described him as “truly a pillar of the Eritrean and Ethiopian communities in San Diego.”
“He passed away just as he lived: serving others and providing for his family,” Williams wrote.
In an online tribute, Williams described a father of six who overcame limited schooling, fled war and built businesses while helping families in the United States and abroad.
Woldemicael left his home country alone in the 1970s to escape war and traveled to Sudan, where he taught himself Arabic, according to Williams. He began as an apprentice earning 50 cents a day, learned a trade and eventually opened an auto repair shop.
He met his wife in Sudan, where they married and had three children. The couple later moved to the United States, where Woldemicael, who did not speak English, began buying and reselling cars before building B&D Auto with his business partner, Danny, in San Diego’s Golden Hill/South Park area, Williams said.
Despite leaving school in the third grade, Woldemicael made sure all six of his children went to college.
“You helped countless families come to the U.S., supported relatives abroad, built multiple businesses, and helped anyone who needed it without ever asking for recognition,” Williams wrote.
Woldemicael is survived by his wife, six children and three grandchildren, according to Williams.
After learning her father had been rendering aid when he was killed, she added to her tribute: “The pain still hurts, but I find major solace in knowing my dad was still helping others even in the very end.”
Woldemicael’s next of kin have been notified. The medical examiner’s report did not list a cause or manner of death. The CHP is investigating the collision.
CORRECTION: This article has corrected the spelling of the victim’s name, which was misspelled in the Medical Examiner’s report.
