David Kawashima (62) of Orange was tragically killed Sunday, April 18, in Tustin, when a driver suspected of DUI stuck his vehicle while fleeing police.
At around 8:45 a.m. Tustin police were called to the 2800 block of Park Avenue to investigate an unresponsive driver in a drive-thru, Irvine police Lt. Bill Bingham said. After a Tustin police officer arrived, the driver fled in the car, which police later discovered was reported stolen.
According to police, the driver, 29-year-old Pedro Pantoja Jr. of Diamond Bar, led the police on a high-speed chase as he traveled north on Jamboree Road for about 300 yards before hitting a car north of Warner Avenue.
The person in the other car was tragically pronounced dead at the scene. He was identified as David Kawashima.
Irvine police booked Pantoja on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, causing injury to his passenger while driving under the influence, vehicle theft, parole violation and evading a police officer.
A female passenger in the car driven by Pantoja was also injured and both were transported to a hospital for treatment.
Accidents like these often leave victims with the right to pursue a claim. As one of the leading catastrophic personal injury law firms in California, Callahan & Blaine has obtained numerous record-breaking verdicts and settlements in cases like this, helping bring some small justice to the aggrieved family. If you or someone you know has suffered a catastrophic injury or died as the result of an accident, contact the best personal injury attorneys in Orange County for expert legal counsel. Contact Callahan & Blaine if you believe you have a right to seek justice at (888) 894-1703.
