Alyssha Karup-Joseph – The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office and local law enforcement have undertaken the solemn duty of publicly identifying six individuals who passed away recently following a series of serious transportation events across the region. These identifications follow extensive investigative work by agencies like the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and signify the closure of an initial stage of investigation for the families involved. The focus of authorities now turns to confirming all official findings and supporting the communities affected by these losses.
Detailed Accounts of Recent Incidents
The tragic incidents occurred over several days, prompting immediate responses from paramedics and specialized traffic units to manage the scenes and conduct initial reviews.
Fallbrook Incident: Alyssha Karup-Joseph
The most recent reported loss occurred late last Thursday evening, shortly before 10:00 p.m. Alyssha Karup-Joseph, a 38-year-old resident of San Diego, was involved in a serious single-vehicle incident in Fallbrook. The vehicle she was traveling in left the Interstate 15 roadway, just north of State Route 76. Due to the vehicle’s motion, Ms. Karup-Joseph was removed from the car before it came to rest off the roadway. Emergency personnel swiftly transported her to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido. Sadly, despite receiving care overnight, she succumbed to her injuries the following morning.
Vista Incident: Jad Farner
Earlier last week, on Wednesday at approximately 6:40 p.m., a serious incident occurred in Vista on North Melrose Drive. Jad Farner, a 23-year-old from Oceanside, was operating a motorcycle when it made contact with an SUV that was stopped in a left-turn lane near the 500 block. The severe nature of the occurrence meant that Mr. Farner passed away immediately at the location of the incident. The Medical Examiner was called to the scene to process the situation.
Linda Vista Incident: Santos Griego
The day before, on Tuesday, a collision on State Route 163 in Linda Vista resulted in the passing of a motorist. Santos Griego, 47, was driving south shortly before 2:30 a.m. when his BMW 850i departed the freeway near Friars Road. The vehicle subsequently made contact with a tree and experienced fire activity. An ambulance crew was able to transport Mr. Griego to Sharp Memorial Hospital, where he passed away shortly after his arrival. The CHP is actively reviewing all factors that contributed to the vehicle leaving the designated roadway.
Clairemont Mesa Incident: Michael Almedina
On October 26th, at approximately 10:45 p.m., another incident involving a motorcycle took place in the Clairemont Mesa neighborhood, at Balboa and Eckstrom avenues. Michael Almedina, 32, of San Diego, was riding his motorcycle when it came into contact with a sedan. Medics immediately transported Mr. Almedina to Sharp Memorial Hospital. Despite efforts to provide life-saving treatment, he succumbed to his injuries at the medical facility.
La Mesa Incident: Roberto Jimenez Jr. and Hit-and-Run
Earlier that same day, shortly before 4:30 a.m., a passenger sustained fatal injuries in a serious transportation incident where the responsible driver left the scene on State Route 125 in La Mesa. Roberto Jimenez Jr., 26, of San Diego, was a passenger in a Nissan Sentra that left the northbound roadway near Spring Street and made contact with a parked Mercedes-Benz E350 on the shoulder. Disturbingly, the driver of the Nissan fled the scene on foot following the impact. Mr. Jimenez passed away at the location of the incident, and the CHP continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the driver’s departure.
Pala Incident: Jesus Contreras and His Wife
Finally, authorities identified Jesus Contreras, 54, of San Bernardino County, who succumbed to serious injuries nearly a month after an initial traffic incident. On September 28th, Mr. Contreras was operating a sedan that made contact with an SUV on State Route 76, east of Magee Road in the Pala area. He was immediately hospitalized at Palomar Medical Center, where he passed away 25 days later. Tragically, Mr. Contreras’ wife, who was traveling with him in the sedan, passed away immediately at the scene of that same collision. Her identity has not yet been publicly released by the county agency.
The identification of these six individuals is a crucial step for the ongoing investigations. Authorities are awaiting final reports and toxicology results to fully understand the factors contributing to these tragic losses.
