Survivor of fatal wrong-way driving accident on I-8 released from hospital

LEMON GROVE, Calif. (KGTV) – A Lemon Grove man has been released from the hospital weeks after a fatal wrong-way crash on Interstate 8 involving a driver suspected of being under the influence of alcohol.

“It hurts. It hurts to see him suffer like that,” said Sherry Forchilli.

Forchilli's 34-year-old son, Ronnie, suffered painful injuries about three weeks after driving a friend's truck home.

Just before 1 a.m. on a Sunday in late August, Ronnie was traveling west on Interstate 8, just west of El Cajon Boulevard, when he collided head-on with a wrong-way driver.

“He came right around the corner and saw lights,” Forchilli said. “Their car was like a ramp. It smashed the front end and threw him through the air.”

It is unknown how long she was driving the wrong way, but the CHP says a 49-year-old Lakeside woman was driving her Kia sedan eastbound in the westbound lanes at a high rate of speed before the crash.

The driver of the Kia died at the scene. The CHP believes the driver of the Kia was under the influence of alcohol based on evidence found at the scene.

Ronnie was rushed to hospital with devastating injuries, including fractures to his ankle and back, requiring surgery to fix his vertebrae.

“They were afraid he would move because the vertebrae could have severed his spinal cord. It was a delicate matter,” said Forchilli.

Ronnie was released from hospital earlier this month and is scheduled to undergo ankle surgery.

“He's frustrated, angry, upset, confused. He feels sorry for the other person's family,” Forchilli said.

The long-term prognosis is unclear.

“He is strong. He is strong,” Forchilli said.

Forchilli is confident that her son, who works as a construction contractor, will recover, although the road to recovery will be long, possibly more than six months.

“He will have needles in his back and leg. He will never be the same,” Forchilli said.

A life-changing injury. A life ended prematurely. Both are the result of an accident that probably occurred under the influence of alcohol.

“You can't drive drunk. You can't do that… My son was driving home from his friend's house. Now his life has changed forever,” Forchilli said.

The toxicological results for the Kia driver are still pending.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help Ronnie with medical and other expenses.