3/5/2008 CORONA - A 6-month-old infant escaped serious injury Wednesday
because he was properly strapped into his car seat when his mother's
car tumbled down an embankment after a collision with a pickup on
northbound Interstate 15 in Corona, authorities said.
After the car came to rest near the Ontario Avenue offramp, the
infant Adrian Lomeli, of Oceanside, was upside down in his car seat.
His mother, Christina Sotelo, extricated herself from her overturned
1999 Honda Civic, and pulled Adrian and his car seat from the
vehicle, which was badly damaged.
"The driver of the (Honda) just recently took a class on child
restraint, restraining a child in a vehicle," said John Deyoe, a
Corona firefighter and paramedic. "Taking the class may have saved
this baby's life."
CHP Officer Dennis Welch said the fact the infant was properly
restrained may have prevented him from being ejected from the car.
With Adrian by her side, Sotelo was taken by ambulance to Riverside
Community Hospital. Welch said Sotelo had minor injuries. She was
treated and released, the hospital reported.
The accident occurred about 9:15 a.m. Santee resident Todd Ebbert,
47, the driver of the 2006 Ford F-150 pickup that was hit by Sotelo's
Honda and his passenger, Shane Burke, 30, of El Cajon, were not hurt,
according to Welch. The pickup received minor damage.
Welch said Sotelo was driving northbound on I-15 about 55-60 mph when
she came upon slower traffic going about 40 mph. Welch said
Soteloswerved to avoid hitting the vehicles in front of her, hit the
white pickup, then swerved left, hit the pickup again and then
overcorrected, causing the car to cross all three northbound lanes
and go over the side and down the embankment.
Reach Jerry Soifer at 951-893-2112 or jsoifer@PE.com
