Skid Marks

Anti-lock brake systems are designed to prevent car crashes; when they don't, the systems can put the brakes on accident investigations. See, anti-lock brakes, which allow wheels to continue rotating, often don't leave skid marks. And skid marks are what police officers use to figure out a car's speed, direction and movement before impact. Without this key evidence, a credible explanation of the crash is elusive, says Sgt.

Regarding "Where No One Fears the Treads" [Dec. 7]: Writer Christopher Reynolds is probably correct that in 10 to 20 years, the Central Coast's Oceano beach will be off-limits to cars and the planet will be better off. However, humans will not be better off. As more of the planet is "protected" and hence excluded from many human activities, people who enjoy nature in their varied ways will suffer. Donald Schultz San Diego

Kaz Deyna, a member of five Socker championship teams, had a blood-alcohol level twice the legal limit when he crashed into a parked truck and died on Sept. 1, the San Diego County Coroner's Office said Tuesday. Deyna had a blood-alcohol level of .20%, said Max Murphy, the supervising deputy at the coroner's office. California law recognizes .10 as the legal limit.

WE LEAVE THE HOUSE WITH Cheerios in our dress shoes and the teeth-clenched expressions of suburbanites escaping the kids for a few precious hours. Someone's turning 40. Which is an odd expression, "turning 40." Frankly, you're either 40 or you're not. "What time will you be home?" asks the older daughter, home for the weekend. "Ten-ish," I say. " 'Ish' is not a time," she says. "Then midnight," I say. "Midnight-ish," says my wife. This is met with howls of protest.

The driver of a small truck was fatally injured early Sunday when the truck hit the center divider on Commonwealth Avenue and then slammed into a cement lamppost, police said. Lt. Dennis Bryerton said Thomas Gage Corbin, 18, of Fullerton, was driving his 1982 Toyota truck west on Commonwealth Avenue near Brookhurst Road at 1 a.m. when he lost control and hit the divider.

A motorcyclist from Van Nuys was killed when his vehicle slammed into a car entering a road late Tuesday in Northridge, Los Angeles police reported. The motorcyclist's name was not disclosed pending notification of relatives. He was identified as a 31-year-old from Van Nuys. The car's driver, Diane Johnson, 40, complained of a knee injury but was not hospitalized, police said. She was not charged. The motorcyclist was traveling north on Reseda Boulevard at 10:25 p.m.

Goaltender Pelle Lindbergh of the Philadelphia Flyers, brain dead and surviving only with the aid of a respirator, was legally drunk when his custom-built sports car rammed a school's concrete steps, doctors said Monday. Tests showed Lindbergh, who led the Flyers to the Stanley Cup finals last season, had a blood-alcohol level of 0.24%, more than twice the legal limit in New Jersey, said Dr. Edward Viner, the Flyers' team physician.

Orange County Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez was expected to return to work today after suffering a concussion in a Sunday evening traffic accident. At home after his discharge from St. Joseph Hospital in Orange on Monday, Vasquez said he was still groggy from the collision and was looking forward to "a good night's sleep." "Now I know what a deer feels like in the headlights of an oncoming car," the supervisor said. "It was quite a scary experience. There was nowhere to go."

Two Sylmar men were killed Tuesday night when the car they were in struck a stalled moving van on the San Diego Freeway in Mission Hills, California Highway Patrol officers said. The driver of the car, Brandon Emerson, 23, and Richard Munoz, 19, a passenger, died instantly, said CHP Officer Doug Reynolds. The accident occurred about 9:20 p.m. as the men were traveling southbound on the San Diego Freeway south of Devonshire Street.

A distraught Westlake Village man died Sunday morning after leading police on a chase and slamming his car into a concrete wall, authorities said. The tragedy began to unfold about 8 a.m., when Guy James McCracken, 29, showed up at his parents' Westlake Village home and made statements that led family members to erroneously believe he was armed, Sheriff's Deputy Carrie Stuart said.

A distraught Westlake Village man died Sunday morning after leading police on a chase and slamming his car into a concrete wall, authorities said. The tragedy began to unfold about 8 a.m., when Guy James McCracken, 29, showed up at his parents' Westlake Village home and made statements that led family members to erroneously believe he was armed, Sheriff's Deputy Carrie Stuart said.

Two Sylmar men were killed Tuesday night when the car they were in struck a stalled moving van on the San Diego Freeway in Mission Hills, California Highway Patrol officers said. The driver of the car, Brandon Emerson, 23, and Richard Munoz, 19, a passenger, died instantly, said CHP Officer Doug Reynolds. The accident occurred about 9:20 p.m. as the men were traveling southbound on the San Diego Freeway south of Devonshire Street.

Orange County Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez was expected to return to work today after suffering a concussion in a Sunday evening traffic accident. At home after his discharge from St. Joseph Hospital in Orange on Monday, Vasquez said he was still groggy from the collision and was looking forward to "a good night's sleep." "Now I know what a deer feels like in the headlights of an oncoming car," the supervisor said. "It was quite a scary experience. There was nowhere to go."

Anti-lock brake systems are designed to prevent car crashes; when they don't, the systems can put the brakes on accident investigations. See, anti-lock brakes, which allow wheels to continue rotating, often don't leave skid marks. And skid marks are what police officers use to figure out a car's speed, direction and movement before impact. Without this key evidence, a credible explanation of the crash is elusive, says Sgt.

* Stocks picked up steam as the dollar and bond markets provided a solid underpinning. The Dow Jones industrials rose 14.59 points to 3,246.81. Still, coming on top of a slim gain Tuesday, the Dow has regained less than a fifth of the 100 points it has lost in the last week. * The dollar ended its sharp decline against the German mark, if temporarily. The dollar closed at 1.4065 marks in New York, up from Tuesday's record low of 1.4015.

Kaz Deyna, a member of five Socker championship teams, had a blood-alcohol level twice the legal limit when he crashed into a parked truck and died on Sept. 1, the San Diego County Coroner's Office said Tuesday. Deyna had a blood-alcohol level of .20%, said Max Murphy, the supervising deputy at the coroner's office. California law recognizes .10 as the legal limit.

A San Diego police detective testified Wednesday that skid marks found at the scene where Cara Knott was killed matched the wheelbase of the California Highway Patrol car driven by Officer Craig Peyer. Homicide Detective Gene Back said the marks found Dec. 28 were too faint to obtain a tread design, but he said the distance between the tire tracks was 53 inches, equal to the the wheelbase of Peyer's CHP cruiser.

Regarding "Where No One Fears the Treads" [Dec. 7]: Writer Christopher Reynolds is probably correct that in 10 to 20 years, the Central Coast's Oceano beach will be off-limits to cars and the planet will be better off. However, humans will not be better off. As more of the planet is "protected" and hence excluded from many human activities, people who enjoy nature in their varied ways will suffer. Donald Schultz San Diego

A motorcyclist from Van Nuys was killed when his vehicle slammed into a car entering a road late Tuesday in Northridge, Los Angeles police reported. The motorcyclist's name was not disclosed pending notification of relatives. He was identified as a 31-year-old from Van Nuys. The car's driver, Diane Johnson, 40, complained of a knee injury but was not hospitalized, police said. She was not charged. The motorcyclist was traveling north on Reseda Boulevard at 10:25 p.m.