Two people, aged 23 and 81, died after a pickup truck became airborne and landed on the top of a stopped family minivan at the intersection of Sports Arena Boulevard and Rosecrans Street in the Midway District.
San Diegto, CA, May 9, 2022 — Ahmed Mazin Salah Alrawi and Suad Alsamarai has been identified by authorities as the deceased victims in a freak collision involving a pickup truck and a minivan that occurred on May 7 in the Midway District of San Diego. Ahmed Alrawi, a 23-year-old San Diego resident and Suad Alsamarai, 81 and an El Cajon resident, were passengers in the backseat of a family minivan, a Toyota Sienna. Reports indicate that the family minivan was stopped at a stoplight at the intersection of Sports Arena Boulevard and Rosecrans Street when the incident began. Shortly after 9:00 p.m., a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck that was allegedly travelling at an excessive speed struck a median, went airborne, and landed on the top of the minivan. A witness called 911 and first-responders arrived but Ahmed Alrawi and Suad Alsamarai both tragically died at the scene. Three others in the crash were injured and taken for treatment, including the driver of the pickup who suffered broken bones. The San Diego Police Department is investigating the devastating collision.
We extend our deepest condolences to the friends and family of Ahmed Mazin Salah Alrawi and Suad Alsamarai during this very difficult time. Our thoughts also go out to the injured.
When individuals are harmed or killed in traffic accidents and another party is at fault, full compensation is not always granted, despite the circumstances. Skilled legal representation from a truck accident attorney is typically a must in these situations. Legal Defenders at the Law Offices of Burg and Brock has helped countless families and individuals obtain the compensation they need to deal with expenses and move on with their lives. For a police report or other information, call us today at (818) 405-9091.
Legal Defenders at the Law Offices of Burg and Brock has helped countless families and individuals obtain the compensation they need to deal with expenses and move on with their lives. For a police report or other information, call us today at (818) 405-9091.
What California law says after a truck accident
Who may bring a wrongful death claim in California
When a collision results in death, California law allows specific family members to bring a wrongful death claim. The categories are defined by statute and generally include a surviving spouse or domestic partner, children, and, where there is no surviving spouse or issue, others who would be entitled to the property of the person who died. Certain dependents, including a putative spouse, stepchildren, or parents who were financially dependent, may also qualify.
A wrongful death claim compensates surviving family members for their own losses, including financial support, funeral and burial expenses, and the loss of the companionship, guidance, and society the person provided.
A separate claim, called a survival action, covers losses the person themselves sustained before death, such as medical expenses and lost earnings. California law changed here. For survival actions filed on or after January 1, 2026, damages for the decedent’s own pain, suffering, or disfigurement are no longer recoverable. Cases filed before that date are not affected, and different rules can apply in elder abuse matters.
Eligibility depends on family circumstances, filing deadlines are strict, and the damages available depend in part on when a case is filed.
Why commercial vehicle cases are different
A collision involving a commercial truck or bus is not simply a larger car collision. Commercial carriers operate under federal and state safety regulations covering driver hours of service, vehicle inspection and maintenance, driver qualification, and cargo securement. A violation of those rules can bear directly on how the collision happened.
These cases also involve records that do not exist in an ordinary collision: electronic logging device data, engine control module data, maintenance and inspection files, driver qualification files, dispatch records, and in many vehicles onboard camera footage. Federal rules require carriers to keep much of this material only for a limited time. Driver vehicle inspection reports must be retained for three months, records of duty status and the supporting documents behind them for six months, and annual inspection reports for fourteen months. The logging device on the truck itself typically holds only the current day and the previous seven days.
Other material that often matters most, including engine control module data, onboard camera video, and raw location data, carries no federal retention period at all and is overwritten on the carrier’s own cycle.
For that reason, requests to preserve evidence are often sent to the carrier and its insurer early. Responsibility may also extend beyond the driver to the motor carrier, a maintenance contractor, or whoever loaded the cargo.
Information for Families After a Fatal Collision
Losing a family member in a collision raises urgent legal questions, often long before anyone feels ready to ask them. These guides set out the basics, with no obligation attached.
- California wrongful death attorney: who may file, the deadlines that apply, and what a claim covers
- Los Angeles truck accident lawyer: how claims against trucking companies and their insurers actually work
- All practice areas