While it is tragic anytime someone is seriously injured or killed in an automobile accident. It is particularly troubling when there is a suspicion that the accident was caused by a drunk driver. After years of ever stricter penalties and public awareness campaigns, drunk driving continues to be a serious problem.

Law enforcement officals are blaming a drunk driver for a fiery automobile accident that claimed the lives of two people in California recently. The car accident was spurred by a 39-year-old driver, who was allegedly operating under the influence of alcohol. The man, who was driving a Chevy Silverado southbound along State Route 125, was returning home from a company Christmas party when he struck a car at around 5:30 p.m.

After hitting the first vehicle, the man crashed into the back of an SUV carrying two passengers, which set it on fire. Both of the occupants - a 73-year-old woman and her 16-year-old grandson - were trapped inside the vehicle where they perished. A family member of the victims identified them for police.

Emergency crews that arrived on the scene found both the SUV and a truck, the alleged drunk driver's vehicle, on fire. The truck was empty at that point as the man had escaped unharmed. The drivers of two other cars involved in the crash escaped without injury.

The grandmother and grandson were en route to Tijuana for an appointment when the man the rear-ended them. The alleged drunk driver was arrested for DUI and vehicular manslaughter. He is being housed at a San Diego jail where his bond was set at $500,000.

The accident backed up traffic on the heavily traveled California roadway.

KFBM News "Family mourns victims killed in fiery crash," Phil Blauer, Dec. 11, 2011