LEMON GROVE, Calif. (KGTV) — A Lemon Grove man is out of the hospital, weeks after a fatal, wrong-way crash involving a suspected DUI driver on Interstate 8.
“It hurts. It hurts to see him in so much pain,” said Sherry Forchilli.
For Forchilli's 34-year-old son Ronnie, hurt comes in the form of painful injuries some three weeks after a drive home in his truck from a friend's house.
Just before 1 a.m. on a Sunday in late August, Ronnie was westbound on Interstate 8, just west of El Cajon Boulevard, when he collided head-on with a wrong-way driver.
“He comes right around the corner and sees lights,” said Forchilli. “Her car was like a ramp. Smashed the front end and sent him flying.”
It's not known how long she had been driving the wrong way, but the CHP says a 49-year-old woman from Lakeside was driving her Kia sedan east in the westbound lanes at a high rate of speed before the crash.
The driver of the Kia died at the scene. The CHP says that based on evidence at the scene, the driver of the Kia was under the influence.
Ronnie was taken to a hospital with devastating injuries, including fractures in his ankle and his back, which required surgery to fuse his vertebrae together.
“They were afraid for him to move because the vertebrae could have cut his spinal cord. It was touch and go,” said Forchilli.
Ronnie was discharged from the hospital earlier this month. He's scheduled for surgery on his ankle.
“He’s frustrated, angry, upset, confused. He feels bad for the other person’s family,” said Forchilli.
The long-term prognosis isn't clear.
“He’s strong. He’s strong,” said Forchilli.
Forchilli is hopeful her son, who works as a contractor, will recover, though the road will be long, possibly more than six months.
“He’s going to have pins in his back and his leg. He won’t be the same,” said Forchilli.
A life-altering injury. A life cut short. Both are the result of a suspected DUI crash.
“Just can't drink and drive. Don’t do it… My son was just driving home from his friend's home. Now his life is changed, forever,” said Forchilli.
The toxicology results for the Kia driver are still pending.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help Ronnie with medical and other expenses.
