Family Cites Highway Flaw in Teen’s Death in I-15 Accident

May 2, 2011 - San Diego, Calif. - Loved ones gathered on Tuesday, April 19, to say goodbye to Junethea Centeno, 18, a Palomar college student who was killed when she ran into a concrete barrier on Interstate 15.

The North County woman's death is shedding light on what is considered to be a dangerous problem on the busy freeway, according to a report at 10news.com.

Authorities said Junethea was traveling north on I-15 in her Honda Civic on April 12 around 3 a.m. when she lost control of the vehicle.

Jon Mata, the teenager's boyfriend, went to the accident scene shortly after the crash and told 10News there were no drums, cones or reflectors to warn motorists of the concrete barrier.

Junethea's father, June Centeno, a Navy corpsman, was en route to California from Japan for a visit, unaware that his daughter had been killed. He was told about the fatal I-15 accident at the airport.

He said he believes his daughter would be alive today if the construction site had been set up differently.

The California Department of Transportation has not commented on the fatal accident. An investigation by the California Highway Patrol is ongoing.

Authorities do not believe alcohol was a factor in the crash. Junethea was estimated to be traveling at up to 75 mph.

According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 3,081 traffic fatalities in California in 2009.

Occasionally, our firm will publish news stories about serious or fatal accidents in our coverage area in order to raise awareness about the types of crashes that can occur in San Diego and elsewhere in our region.

Some of the most common types of motor vehicle accidents include: 

• single-vehicle crashes;
• crashes involving speeding;
• crashes involving large trucks; and
• rollover accidents. 

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