Hit-Run Car Strikes 2 Men Changing Tire on Side of I-5

A 21-year-old Oceanside man was charged with driving drunk and leaving the scene of an accident early Saturday after he allegedly plowed his vehicle into two men changing a tire along a shoulder of Interstate 5 in Carlsbad, the California Highway Patrol said.

Both victims--Alfredo Gonzalez, 49, of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and Jaime de la Rosa, 52, of Los Angeles--were rushed to area hospitals with serious injuries, the CHP said.

De la Rosa was in critical condition Saturday at Scripps Memorial Hospital, a spokeswoman said. Gonzalez’s condition could not be determined.

The driver, Jose Perez, 21, of Oceanside, was booked into the County Jail in Vista, where he was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail, officials said.

The incident occurred at 12:20 a.m. along northbound I-5, just north of Cannon Road, the CHP said.

The suspect’s vehicle drifted into the right shoulder, where the two men were changing a flat tire on the left rear side of their van.

The two were well out of the line of traffic, according to the CHP statement.

After striking the two men, the CHP said, Perez’s vehicle continued north.

A witness followed the hit-and-run vehicle, eventually leading to the driver’s arrest in Oceanside, the CHP said.