11 Cars Damaged by Cement Blocks Left in I-8 Lanes

The California Highway Patrol is on the lookout for whoever is leaving large cement blocks in the middle of Interstate 8 near Dunbar Lane.That’s right. Cement blocks. Pancho Villa Market Fully Operational Following DEH Closure So far, the CHP has seen 11 cars damaged by cement blocks in freeway lanes.Autumn Bassham is the most recent victim. Her grey ford focus is undrivable after she rolled over a concrete block last Thursday night. The damage is so extensive it might not even be worth fixing. 4 Victims of Fatal Weekend Crashes Weren’t Wearing Seatbelts: CHP The block autumn hit weighs 50 pounds and measures 8 inches tall.”It was scary,” Bassham said. “It was confusing because I didn’t know what I had hit.” Minimum Wage Law Violators Ordered to Pay $100K in Back Pay The accident happened just before midnight. Bassham and a friend were changing lanes driving 65 mph on westbound I-8 just before the Dunbar Lane exit.”It was a really loud noise. It was like a big thud,” Bassham said.The impact blew the driver side front tire, bent the rim, bumper, fender, and door and broke the axel.The CHP is investigating Autumn’s collision and three others that happened here in the last month. One involved five cars. In all, 11 cars have been damaged and the combined repairs will cost thousands.”Why would you do that? How do you come up with that?” Bassham said.Each time it was the same color and type of cement block left in the road. While there are block companies in the area, CHP investigators are convinced this was no accident. They think the blocks are being placed there deliberately.”I definitely need to be more cautious and look out for more things like that,” Bassham said.Autumn didn’t see the block in the middle of the road and she didn’t see anybody place the block in the middle of the road.Since the CHP has had no luck catching the suspect after the fact, they are stepping up patrols in hopes of catching them in the act.Photo Credit: NBC 7
Source: NBC San Diego