A Sig alert has been put into place after a car rolled over into a palm tree on Interstate 5 south, leaving one occupant of the car dead, police said.
The accident happened at 3:37 p.m. on I-5 south near the B Street.
The Sig alert has been issued for one lane of the hiughway near the crash as crews work. There is no word on how long it will be closed.
Check back for updates on this breaking news story.
A 3-year-old-boy drowned Tuesday night in a pool at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, authorities said.
The child was visiting from out of town and was somehow separated from his parents, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. After a search, the child was found underwater. He was pronounced dead at a hospital, shortly after 8 p.m.
WESH 2 News, an NBC affiliate in Orlando, reported that the child and his family were visiting from New York.
"We are deeply saddened by this tragedy and our main focus now is assisting the family during this difficult time," said Disney World spokeswoman Jacquee M. Wahler.
Accordiing to Wahler, lifeguards were on duty at the time.
Operators of The Headquarters at Seaport commercial center in downtown San Diego recently signed a lease with Block 16 Hospitality to operate the region’s first Flour & Barley Brick Oven Pizza restaurant, set to open this fall.
Lease terms were not disclosed for the new eatery, which will take the space vacated last fall by Pizzeria Mozza. Flour & Barley has its flagship location in Las Vegas.
Officials of The Headquarters’ operator, developer Terramar Retail Centers of Carlsbad, said Flour & Barley will move into the space on the western end of the center next to Venissimo Cheese. The existing space will be remodeled in Flour & Barley’s signature rustic theme, with a natural wood and brick interior.
The new restaurant will have an outdoor patio, a custom-painted mural at the back bar, marble tabletops, vintage posters and classic black-and-white sports photography. It will be anchored by two red, tile-wrapped wood-fired ovens, and the menu will include pizzas, pasta dishes, salads, Panini sandwiches and craft beers.
Las Vegas-based Block 16 Hospitality also runs several other restaurant concepts, including Pink’s Hot Dogs and Urth Natural foods.
The Headquarters opened in fall 2013 following a $40 million renovation of an historic former city police headquarters complex next-door to Seaport Village. Its other current tenants include Eddie V’s, Puesto and The Cheesecake Factory.
The center was originally known as The Headquarters at Seaport District, but the last word in that name was recently dropped, a spokeswoman said.
San Diego's City Attorney shared his opinion Wednesday on what the City Council's decision to spend $2.1 million on an environmental review of the Mission Valley site would mean to San Diego Chargers owners.
The money approved by the city council will be spent on an EIR for the site proposed by the mayor’s Citizens Stadium Advisory Group (CSAG).
The San Diego Chargers, who are considering moving to a joint-use stadium in Carson near Los Angeles, have said they prefer a downtown San Diego site.
City Attorney Jan Goldsmith said if the city wants to keep the Chargers or any NFL team in town, an EIR was the next step in an interview on KUSI-TV.
“If the Chargers are going to go to their partners and say, 'Hey we need to move to Los Angeles because it’s not doable in San Diego', their worse nightmare is that we’re actually doing it,“ Goldsmith said.
He also said city officials were talking "behind the scenes" with the NFL and "know the layout of the land."
"We’re in the game because we’re moving forward with the EIR," he said adding that the city's experts on NFL negotiations suggested the city continue.
Get our complete coverage on the Stadium Scramble in our special section.
The son of a Boston police officer who allegedly plotted to detonate pressure-cooker bombs is seen defending ISIS in a newly-released segment of a police interview, saying that he does not believe ISIS executes innocent people.
In one of the most compelling parts of the video released to necn by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Adams, Massachusetts, police ask 23-year-old Alexander Ciccolo if he agrees with the motives behind the beheadings that ISIS has captured on video and posted online.
"The people that you see being executed are criminals. They're criminals. They're the lowest of the low," Ciccolo said. "They don't kill children and women. That's lies. They will do that if they fight — if a woman or a child fights."
Ciccolo allegedly plotted to detonate pressure-cooker bombs and broadcast the executions of students live online in a move to support ISIS.
"How can a man-made law be better than divine law?" Ciccolo asked. "It's not even possible."
In addition, Ciccolo tells police that it is unjust to not follow Sharia law.
"The people that welcome the Islamic State, they're living so well. You don't hear about that in the news. You don't hear about that but they are," Ciccolo said.
Throughout the video, Ciccolo takes time to answer the questions and chooses his words carefully as he cleans his glasses on his shirt and fidgets in his chair. The first time he appears defensive is towards the end of the video when police press him on the motives of the Islamic State.
"They kill enemies. They kill oppressors," Ciccolo said sternly.
Ciccolo was charged in a criminal complaint unsealed Monday with illegal possession of a firearm for receiving four guns July 4 from a person cooperating with the Western Massachusetts Joint Terrorism Task Force. Ciccolo, who was barred from having a gun because of a drunken driving conviction, was ordered held without bail during a detention hearing Tuesday.
His attorney, David Hoose, argued that Ciccolo had no record of conviction for weapons and no record of violence and should be released to the custody of his mother and stepfather, where he could remain under house arrest on a GPS bracelet. Hoose said Ciccolo's beliefs "may be deemed vile, but those are beliefs." He urged the judge to focus on the charge his client is facing - a felon in possession of weapons charge - not the terror allegations.
Ciccolo's father, a 27-year veteran of the Boston Police force, alerted authorities last fall that his son had a long history of mental illness and was thinking about joining the Islamic State, sources told the Associated Press.
Wednesday was the last day for beachgoers to use "rinse-off” showers at all state beaches as the state shuts the feature off to conserve water.
Across the state, parks employees put up signs to remind beachgoers the state is in a severe drought, and is trying to save water.
“It's kind of convenient when you have three little kids, obviously going to get them a little sandy coming back up here [from the beach],” said Joe Brendle of Hollister.
Brendle brought his family to Seacliff State Beach Tuesday, and saw the showers were dry when he started packing up. “I think it's kind of bogus, man,” he said.
Surfer Danny Boyer from Half Moon Bay agreed with the state’s move.
“I think the drought is serious business so I’m totally supportive of that decision,” he said.
The state claims shutting off the showers will save 1.2 gallons per rinse, and will save 18 million gallons of water each year.
The San Diego County beaches affected are: Carlsbad State Beach, Cardiff State Beach, San Elijo State Beach, San Onofre State Beach, Silver Strand State Beach, South Carlsbad State Beach and Torrey Pines State Beach.
State Parks officials suggest beachgoers use towels to whisk sand from their legs, or even bring a gallon of water from home to wash off and make the ride home more bearable.
Big, flashy hats, horses and jockeys in Del Mar could only mean one thing: Del Mar Racetrack season is upon us.
Thursday marks Opening Day of the 76th season of the horse races in the seaside community located 20 miles north of downtown San Diego. The day will bring thousands of spectators to the track in their best outfits, including unbelievable hats primed for the famous annual Opening Day Hats Contest.
This year, the Del Mar racing season runs for a total of 40 days through Monday, Sept. 7. Racing takes place Wednesday through Sunday, plus an added racing day on Labor Day Monday. The first post is at 2 p.m. daily, with the exception of Friday, when first post is set for 4 p.m. The track opens each day two hours before first post, giving patrons a chance to enjoy the racetrack.
Besides horse racing, the track will host many other events throughout the season, including 18+ summer concerts that are free with paid track admission (or $20 per person after the last race). This year, the lineup includes The Wallflowers (July 17), The Wailers (July 24), The OffSpring (July 25) and Weird Al Yankovic (Aug. 28), among many performers.
The racetrack will host two craft beer festivals, one on July 25 and the other on Aug. 29. The brew fests will run from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the western end near the Seaside Stage and will boast more than 40 craft brewers, including local favorites like AleSmith Brewing Company, Stone Brewing Co. and Ballast Point Brewing Company, to name a few.
More than 100 craft beers will be available for sampling. Entry to the fest is free with regular racetrack admission. Once there, attendees can purchase five 7-ounce samples of the brews for $20. Pre-sale packages are available online.
Another notable day is the $1 Million TVG Pacific Classic on Aug. 22, which draws a robust racing crowd. “Supersized Family Fun Day” is set for July 19, which will boast lots of free attractions for the entire family. Racetrack admission is free for kids 17 and under.
On Aug. 15, the track will host a Gourmet Food Truck Festival from noon to 6 p.m. in the Seaside Concert Area. The event will feature 50 food trucks from all over Southern California offering delicious eats for $4 to $8 per item.
When planning your trip to the track, remember this: Stretch Run Daily Admission to the track, without a seat, is $6 per person, while Stretch Run Reserved Seats are $5 to $10, depending on the race day. Active duty military members get free Stretch Run Admission with proof of ID. General Parking at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club is $10.
The first-ever Opening Day in Del Mar was on July 3, 1937, when Bing Crosby welcomed patrons at the front gate.
Since then, Del Mar has been one of the leading tracks in the U.S. when it comes to daily attendance. In 2014, the average daily attendance was 16,535 patrons. In 2014, Opening Day brought 42,021 patrons to the track.
Other noteworthy moments for Del Mar include Aug. 12, 1938, when Seabiscuit won the historic $25,000 winner-take-all match race that put the seaside track on the map, and Aug. 10, 1996, when the track hosted its largest crowd ever – 44,181 – who watched a stunning upset by a race horse named Dare and Go as horse Champion Cigar attempted to surpass Citation’s record of 16 straight wins.
On Opening Day last year, the track debuted a new, wider turf course that accommodates more horses and makes Del Mar eligible to host the Breeder’s Cup. This year, the track will debut a brand-new dirt course, replacing the 7-year-old polytrack surface on its main track.
For more information on Del Mar Racing season, visit the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club's website. NBC7.com will host a livestream of the Opening Day Hats Contest on Thursday here.
The Del Mar Racetrack may be all about the horses but on Opening Day, it’s all about the hats.
On Thursday, racetrack revelers will sport their flashiest, most ornate toppers for the 21st annual Opening Day Hats Contest taking place from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Plaza de Mexico inside the Stretch Run admission gates. The contest is free to enter and those who are interested can register here.
One by one, contestants will strut their stuff, showing off their impressive hats as they compete to win more than $5,000 in total prizes across five different categories.
The contest categories include “Most Glamorous,” “Best Racing Theme,” “Funniest/Most Outrageous,” “Best Fascinator,” and “Flowers/All Other.”
First place winners in each category will receive a $300 gift card to Studio Savvy and a $1,000 gift card to Image Spa MD. Second place winners score a $200 gift card, while third place winners get a $100 gift card.
The biggest winner of the day – the Bing Crosby Grand Prize winner – receives an “escape” package valued at $1,300 for Harrah’s Resort Southern California that includes a two-night stay in a hotel suite, a $200 meal credit and a $200 spa credit.
NBC 7 will livestream the Opening Day Hats Contest in this article.
According to organizers, the Opening Day contest was officially established in 1995. Each year, the competition is fierce with hardcore hat enthusiasts turning out by the droves to show off their creations. Many spend months meticulously designing that perfect hat to flawlessly match their Opening Day attire.
For more details on Del Mar Racing season, click here.
A SeaWorld employee posed as an animal rights activist and attended events organized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals for three years, PETA said in a statement Tuesday. In turn, the water park accused PETA of similar deceptive practices.
PETA said a man identified himself as "Thomas Jones" on PETA's Action Team website and “solicited information about peaceful protests” from its staffers. However, PETA claims that the man’s true identity is Paul T. McComb, a human resources employee at SeaWorld San Diego.
"SeaWorld knows that the public is rejecting its cruel orca prisons and is so desperate that it created a corporate espionage campaign," says PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange.
SeaWorld responded to the allegations in a statement.
"We are focused on the safety of our team members, guests and animals and beyond that we do not comment on our security operations," Fred Jacobs, a SeaWorld spokesman, said in a statement. "This is a responsibility that we take very seriously, especially as animal rights groups have become increasingly extreme in their rhetoric and tactics."
SeaWorld also accused the animal rights organization of infiltrating "companies like SeaWorld."
"PETA itself actively recruits animal rights activists to gain employment at companies like SeaWorld, as this job posting demonstrates," Jacobs said in the statement. "Safety is our top priority, and we will not waiver from that commitment."
PETA in a statement responded that what they do is "nothing at all like what SeaWorld has apparently done here."
The organization said SeaWorld’s alleged "corporate espionage campaign tried to coerce kind people into illegal acts." PETA compared their own undercover work to that done by journalists.
SeaWorld would not confirm whether or not a Paul McComb currently works or has ever worked for the company.
Bloomberg.com first reported the allegations.
A 44-year-old man is facing an animal cruelty charge after he repeatedly hit an elephant seal pup in the head with a rock, killing him, San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis said Wednesday.
Roy Lee Miller is accused of the brutal attack on the elephant seal under the Sonar Bridge near North Harbor Drive, Dumanis said.
Officials arrested Miller after obtaining a warrant Tuesday. He is charged with one count of cruelty to an endangered or protected animal.
He was arraigned in San Diego Superior Court and plead not guilty on Tuesday. A judge set bail at $40,000.
If convicted, he faces five years in local prison.
The Port of San Diego’s Harbor Police Department was investigating.
Greece's Parliament has approved an austerity bill demanded by bailout creditors, despite a significant level of dissent from the governing leftist Syriza party.
The bill to impose sweeping tax hikes and spending cuts was approved with the support of three pro-European opposition parties.
Several prominent members of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' ruling party voted against his recommendation, including Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis and former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis.
Eurozone rescue lenders demanded the fresh round of cuts in a deal reached this week to place Greece in a new bailout program.
Dissenters argued that Greeks could not face any more cuts after six years of recession that saw a sharp rise in poverty and unemployment.
Chalk this up as another example of the sunshine tax.
While drivers in San Diego County, and much of California, are seeing gas prices soar to just below $5 a gallon, except for some rare places that are even higher (we're looking at you, Coronado), drivers in other states aren't feeling the pinch.
Analysts blame the sharp increase in California on the lack of both gas produced locally and imported fuel.
The stark contrast between California and the rest of the country became clear by the hundreds of comments left on NBC 7's Facebook page.
Many elsewhere in the United States reported gas prices below $3 a gallon. Closer to home, folks reported gas prices well above $4. Here's a look at the difference:
NASA’S New Horizons spacecraft captured the first up-close photo of the dwarf planet Pluto and late Tuesday, San Diegans joined those around the world in recognizing the achievement.
With just one photograph our relationship is rekindled with the dwarf planet that we've always known as Pluto.
“I am very excited and I have been looking forward to this day a long time,” visitor Evan Zucker said.
He attended Balboa Park’s Reuben H. Fleet Science Center Pluto Fly-By Party with approximately 150 space enthusiasts.
Zucker's fascination with the stars began as a boy. Twenty-six years later he met his wife at the Fleet when he came to see Voyager fly by Neptune. So it's no surprise this close encounter with Pluto is near and dear to his heart.
“I have already made it my Facebook profile photo,” Zucker said.
With a payload of sensors and cameras New Horizons traveling at about 21,000 miles per hour and
reached Pluto in nine and a half years.
How precise were the calculations? If it launched just one month later this historic moment wouldn't have happened for five more years.
“It’s amazing with what goes into it that they can navigate to not hit anything and then also using Jupiter to speed up,” Fleet visitor Jennifer Zilch said.
Over the last seven days New Horizons collected particle and chemical samples, measured solar winds and snapped photos.
The Fleet organized a lecture from a resident astronomer on the spacecraft New Horizons after it sent back an incredible photo. Then, there was an open discussion about Pluto’s importance in the Solar system.
Some in the audience admitted they were still a little sore about Pluto losing planet status but they were all equally impressed with seeing it close up.
“Incredibly sharp beautiful color image we could tell there was ice there was geology,” NASA Ambassador Jerry Hilburn said.
Hilburn is most surprised at Pluto’s reddish color and size - 1,450 miles wide. The two facts were not known before now.
The science is inspiring. The photos spark the imagination of millions. That's our relationship with space, star-crossed lovers forever.
New Horizons can't do its job and download data to NASA at the same time. Scientists say it will take 18 months to retrieve all of the newly discovered data about Pluto.
So the suspense will have to last a bit longer.
The victim in a fatal hit-and-run outside the San Diego Convention Center was just getting her life back on track before her death, her brother said Wednesday.
Yolanda Gardner, 50, was struck by a vehicle near the corner of Harbor Drive and 5th Avenue just before 4 a.m. Monday.
She sustained severe head trauma along with broken bones. Her family says she has been declared clinically dead.
Gardner was a mother of four who was raised in San Diego in a large family of 12 other siblings. She was living in a downtown apartment with her boyfriend and had just gotten a job, according to her brother Richard Trisby.
He said he’s not sure why his sister was crossing the street at that time of day. The nearest crosswalk was located 25 feet away from where officers collected evidence.
She may have been going to work or going to get something to eat, Trisby said.
“My guess is that she had some kind of determination to do something,” he said.
Gardner leaves behind four children. One is 13 years old and lives with an aunt. The other three children are adults.
Her sisters saw television news reports of the fatal collision without knowing it was a member of their own family who had been killed.
Now the family is hoping the person responsible will come forward.
“That’s the devastating part of me – you didn’t care enough about a human life to sit and wait or try to get some type of help,” Trisby said.
A car traveling westbound struck Gardner. San Diego Police described the suspect vehicle as "a small silver Ford with front-end damage including the headlight assembly."
As of Wednesday morning she was on life support at UCSD Medical Center while doctors search for patients in need of organ donations.
Tribsy said the family is hoping doctors can find a successful match.
"I believe she sees me now talking about her and she smiles," her brother said. "I feel in my heart I'm doing the right thing for her.”
Once the organ donation process is complete and the police investigators are able to gather what they need, the family said they will plan funeral services.
Anyone with any information on this case can call the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477.
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A fire sparked by construction prompted a massive response to the Midway Museum moored along the Embarcadero in downtown San Diego.
A spark from some welding started the fire on two decks below the flightdeck on the decommissioned Navy ship that has been transformed into a maritime museum.
Smoke was reported around 5:30 a.m. but due to the location of the fire, a third-alarm was called just after 6 a.m. Dozens of emergency vehicles lined Harbor Drive in front of the Broadway Pier.
San Diego Fire-Rescue tweeted the location of the fire.
About two hours after the initial call, firefighters said they had the fire knocked down.
The ship has a lot of hidden spaces and compartments so it took a while to find the heat source, said San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesperson Joe Amador.
“Some of that slag that’s created from the heat of the welder’s torch may have gotten down into a crevice somewhere in one of those hidden compartments,” Amador said.
Perhaps a dozen construction workers were converting some areas into additional overnight spaces and it was the construction in those spaces that caused the problem, the museum marketing director said.
The location of the fire was just below the fire deck out on the bow, according to marketing director Scott McGaugh.
“It was very forward on the ship fairly far from the bulk of the public space,” McGaugh said. “It’s pretty remote.”
He added that the museum has a modern-day sprinkler system.
Damage was estimated at $5,000 according to fire officials.
The museum was expected to be open Wednesday as scheduled.
A popular destination for tourists and locals alike, the Midway was ranked among the best museums in the United States last year, according to TripAdvisor.
Set aboard one of America’s longest-serving aircraft carriers, the museum boasts 60 exhibits and also houses 29 restored aircraft.
Check back for updates in this developing story.
A Marine has been arrested after two women were pushed off a seaside cliff in a bizarre fight in San Diego's North County, officials said.
Carlsbad Police were investigating the fight between four people, including two Camp Pendleton Marines, just before 1 a.m. Tuesday along Carlsbad Boulevard near Cerezo Drive.
Bradley Huston, 20, who lives at Camp Pendleton, was arrested at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday for assault with a deadly weapon and battery causing serious injury. He was booked into the Vista Detention Facility.
Officials say one of the Marines pushed both a 17-year-old and 18-year-old down a 10- to 15-foot cliff to the beach below.
The 18-year-old adult suffered undetermined injuries but declined medical transport. The juvenile girl suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries and was taken to Scripps Medical Center in La Jolla.
The Marines involved were 20- and 21-years-old and walked from the scene before emergency crews arrived, officers said.
Officers contacted Camp Pendleton Provost Marshall and investigators subsequently arrested Huston.
Investigators said they were not sure what the fight was about or if the group knew each other before the incident. The group was believed to have been intoxicated before the fight, officers said.
The investigation is ongoing.
New Haven police have discovered a human arm in a plastic back near the railroad tracks under the Chapel Street Bridge near Union Avenue, according to a press release.
Police say they made the discovery around 7 p.m. Wednesday. Death Investigators from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner were called out to recover the remains. The scene is just one block from where a pair of human legs were found earlier the same day. Police say they cannot determine if the two sets of remains are related until a forensic examination is completed.
State police are also responding with a cadaver dog to assist.
New Haven Police will be updating the media with the latest details at 9:30 p.m. Check back for updates.
A year-long investigation by Cal Fire, featuring GPS trackers, hidden cameras and a specialized task force, ended with charges against a man accused of setting several wildland fires in San Diego's East County, prosecutors confirmed to NBC7.
Jonathan Cohen pleaded not guilty to setting at least five arson fires in the past year.
At his readiness hearing, prosecutors linked Cohen to fires on Wildcat Canyon Road in Lakeside, a small fire along Lake Wohlford Road near Guejito Road on Oct. 24, an April 19 fire along Lake Wohlford, and a June fire along State Route 67 in Lakeside, prosecutors said.
“Arson always has the potential especially when it comes to Wildland fires during a drought to spread and become much larger than the fires in this case were so we are happy that none of the fires spread to be considered majorly out of control,” said Deputy District Attorney Andrew Aguilar in court.
Prosecutors said GPS tracking and surveillance cameras placed Cohen near the ignition points of the fires. The defense, however, said it is waiting to see the evidence.
“Mr. Cohen still has the right to a fair and unbiased jury pool and for people not to jump to conclusions until there has been some evidence presented and there has been none," said David Thompson, Cohen’s public defender.
Cohen will be back in court on August 11 for his preliminary hearing. If convicted, he could face 11 years in prison.
There is no federal law in effect that now requires rental car companies to warn consumers if the vehicle they are renting is under a safety recall.
On Wednesday, while considering a proposed bill, the U.S. Senate Transportation Committee voted to include an amendment that would prohibit cars with a safety recall from being rented.
Meanwhile, some larger rental companies have voluntarily pulled recalled cars from their fleet. The moves come on the heels of the largest auto safety recall in US history.
Last week, manufacturer Takata Corp. expanded its recall to now include more than 57 million air bags worldwide, with 34 million air bags in the United States.
Jewel Brangman is one of eight people known to have died from injuries caused by a faulty air bags, after a car crash in Los Angeles while behind the wheel of one such rental car.
Her father, Alexander Brangman, remembers walking into County/USC Medical Center’s trauma unit to see his vivacious daughter hooked up to various life sustaining machines.
"I couldn’t even breathe. I collapsed to the floor," he says, recalling that moment.
Brangman remembers his 26-year-old daughter as inquisitive and humble. She was a source of boundless energy who brought so much life to his life, he said.
In a gentle voice he recalls the "petite" girl with the "big presence."
"Her infectious laugh. How much she loved and wanted to heal," he says. "How dynamic she was. How much promise she had."
Jewel Brangman was a competitive gymnast. She had a master’s degree and plans to earn a doctorate, which she intended to pay for with money made from her modeling career.
But Jewel Brangman died Sept. 8, 2014.
Last month the Honda corporation confirmed Brangman’s fatal injuries resulted from the Takata Corp.-manufactured air bag in the 2001 Honda she was driving. Honda Corp. issued a statement in June, when it confirmed that Brangman had died as a result of the air bag deployment. Read that statement here.
It is a painful irony for Brangman. "Air bags are supposed to save lives," he says. "Not be the cause to take them."
Of the eight known deaths caused by Takata air bags, Jewel Brangman is the only one to have died in a rental car. The 2001 Honda Civic she rented had been under recall since 2009.
Takata Corp. responded to NBC4's inquiries with the following statement:
"Our condolences go out to the driver's family. The incident cited involved a vehicle that had been previously recalled, and we are working in close collaboration with Honda to determine the facts and circumstances surrounding the situation. Takata's number one priority is the safety of the driving public."
Rosemary Shahan is president of Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety. She never met Jewel Brangman, but talking about the "preventable" loss of her life, brings her to tears.
"It’s totally heartbreaking. That not should have happened. She should still be alive."
Shahan says it is "crazy" that rental car companies do not have to comply with the same standard that new car dealers do.
"The whole point is the car is either safe or not," she says.
It is illegal for dealers to sell vehicles without first repairing a known safety defect, but rental car companies are allowed to rent cars even if the recalled safety defect has not been fixed.
Many of the larger rental companies voluntarily pull recalled cars off the street until they are repaired, but there is no federal oversight or legal consequence for renting a potentially unsafe vehicle.
"It’s just really outrageous," says Shahan.
Shahan is critical of the upcoming bill introduced by Sen. John Thune (R- South Dakota). The bill would require rental car companies to disclose any recalls, but not require them to take the car off the road.
"That’s really just passing the buck on to someone. Trying to shift the liability on to the consumer. It’s just really not your job to make sure the car is safe," she says.
Los Angeles attorney Adam Shea is representing Alexander Brangman in a lawsuit against the San Diego-based company that rented Jewel Brangman the car, as well as Honda and Takata.
Referring to a series of accident photos, he says it is "astonishing" the magnitude of Jewel Brangman’s injuries when the four-car accident was really just a fender-bender.
According to the police report of the crash, the only air bag that deployed was in Jewel Brangman’s car. None of the other drivers suffered serious injuries. No one but Jewel Brangman was taken away by an ambulance.
Shea explains that a metal fragment from the air bag left a 3-inch slice in Brangman’s neck, causing a significant blood loss that ultimately cut off the oxygen to her brain. The coroner’s report lists traumatic brain injury as the cause of death.
Shea says what makes this case so unusual is that Honda and Takata had known of the air bag problems for years, and chose “profits over safety.” He wants Honda and Takata to make a bigger effort repairing the millions of cars still on the road with defective air bags.
"The way to get their attention is for a jury in LA to say, ‘what you did was reprehensible. What you did was not right and you are going to pay for it,’" he says.
While his grief is overwhelming, Alexander Brangman takes some comfort from the very last text he got from his daughter — the day of her deadly crash.
"I love my life, dad," she wrote. "I love my life."
Alexander Brangman explains that it is difficult to talk about his daughter publicly, to go through the pain over and over. He takes motivation from his daughter, who he believes would want him to be an advocate so no other family will suffer as he has.
"I had her for 26 years, nine months, approximately 11 hours and 8 minutes," he says. "I will never get over this loss."
For a complete list of makes and models affected by the Takata air bag recalls, visit this site.
To check your specific car using your Vehicle Identification Number, check the database here.
