Wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of husband, son of woman killed by drunk driver

Chula Vista Woman Killed on Carmel Valley Road July 22

SAN DIEGO (September 16, 2015) With drunken driving cases surging in San Diego, law firm CaseyGerry has filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the family of Enid Diane Mayer-Sheaf, a 61 year old woman killed after an alleged drunk driver collided into her vehicle on Carmel Valley Road near State Route 56.

According to CaseyGerry attorney Frederick Schenk, the lawsuit was filed in San Diego Superior Court against Anthony Rodriguez on behalf of Danny Sheaf, the victim’s husband and Christopher Sheaf, her son. Schenk said the accident occurred on July 22, 2015, when a Fiat 500 – driven by defendant Rodriguez, 30, and heading eastbound on Carmel Valley Road – careened over the center divide and collided head on into Mayer-Sheaf’s Chevrolet Nova.

Mayer-Sheaf, a Chula Vista resident, died at the accident scene. Uninjured in the crash, Rodriguez was subsequently taken into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and manslaughter charges.

According to Schenk, the lawsuit alleges the defendant was severely impaired at the time of the accident and, therefore, directly responsible for the victim’s death.

“Rodriguez – whose blood alcohol content level was reportedly .16 – double the legal limit – had been drinking for hours. He had been at a Padres game and then went to a bar for post-game festivities,” Schenk said.

Unfortunately, this type of incident has been all too common in recent months, Schenk added. “With a spike in drunk driving fatalities this summer, San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis has called it the ‘Summer of Shame.’ Sadly, this is a completely preventable tragedy. Given all the alternative forms of transportation – from Uber to Lyft to taxis – one should never get behind the wheel drunk. This simply should never be an option.”

The lawsuit claims that Rodriguez – who has been charged with three felonies: gross vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury and driving with measurable blood alcohol causing injury – drove his vehicle with wanton, willful and conscious disregard for the safety of others. “Because of this alleged malicious act,” Schenk said, “his family has suffered tremendously and will seek punitive damages in addition to general damages.”

About CaseyGerry

CaseyGerry was established in 1947, and is the longest-standing plaintiffs’ law firm in San Diego. The firm’s14 attorneys practice in numerous areas, including serious personal injury, product liability, pharmaceutical, mass tort and class action litigation. Headquartered at 110 Laurel St. in the Banker’s Hill neighborhood of San Diego, the firm also has an additional office in Carlsbad, Calif. For more information, call 619-238-1811.