San Diego 6
SAN DIEGO — A rainy morning accident takes the life of an EMT while he is trying to help others and closes down part of the Interstate for more than eight hours.
Investigators say 24-year-old Esteban Bahena of Lemon Grove was hit while he was putting out flares warning drivers of two separate crashes on Interstate 163 at Washington.
“It has hit everybody hard,” says Michael Simonsen of San Diego Medical Services.
Bahena had worked at San Diego Medical Services since August of 2008.
“We deal with death every single day, but when it’s one of your own, it’s that much tougher,” says Simonsen.
Bahena is a graduate of Mount Miguel High school and later graduated from the University of California at San Diego.
“One of those guys well liked by everybody. Always had a smile on his face,” says Simonsen.
Investigators say the woman who hit Bahena was also taken to the hospital and was tested for drinking and driving, but she has not been charged with anything. The exact cause of the collision is still under investigation.
According to the CHP, other vehicles may be involved in the collisions.
The fatality was the first on-duty death in the 13-year history of San Diego Medical Services, a public-private partnership between the city and a national emergency-services company.