In Blake Hertel’s mind, there’s an easy solution to keep cars from flying off the road and crashing into his parking lot. Just add a guardrail. It’s been frustrating for him to watch video after video of vehicles going down the embankment.
“That would have prevented every single one of the accidents we’ve observed,” Hertel said.
Hertel runs the Westphal Company, which manages the office and retail building complex at the corner of Fuerte Drive and Grossmont Boulevard in La Mesa, right off Interstate 8. It’s also home to Brigantine Seafood & Oyster Bar.
When cars go off-road, they drop about 25 feet down into the restaurant’s parking lot. NBC 7 Investigates found it’s happened at least seven times since 2021.
The most recent crash happened just last month, which marked the second crash