James Michel, 86, Dies in Hospital | Interstate 8 Crash in Pine Valley, San Diego
Yuma Man Dies Weeks After I-8 Freeway Collision
San Diego, CA (May 13, 2025) — James Michel, 86, of Yuma, Arizona, has died following injuries sustained in a crash last month on the Interstate 8 Freeway in San Diego County.
The elderly man passed away on May 8, 2025, at UC San Diego Medical Center, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The coroner’s report confirmed Michel was injured on April 24, 2025, when the vehicle he was a passenger in collided with the rear of a stopped vehicle on westbound Interstate 8, just west of Buckman Springs Road near Pine Valley.
Emergency responders transported Michel from the scene to UCSD Medical Center, where he remained under medical care until his death nearly two weeks later. His official time of death was recorded at 7:50 p.m.
The California Highway Patrol is the investigating agency in the incident. The cause and manner of death have not yet been publicly disclosed, but next of kin have been notified, according to the coroner’s office.
Further details about the crash, including the condition of the driver or occupants of the other vehicle, have not yet been released.
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