San Diego City Wire

The San Diego County Department of the Medical Examiner has been awarded a $600,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety. This funding is intended to improve toxicology data reporting for motor-vehicle related fatalities. The grant will be in effect until September 2025.

The funds are allocated for training toxicologists and developing methods for new toxicology equipment. This equipment will help in analyzing and identifying alcohol and drugs in postmortem specimens from traffic-related death cases.

Currently, the Medical Examiner's toxicology laboratory handles about 4,500 cases each year, with approximately 300 directly tied to motor-vehicle fatalities. The grant aims to enhance the laboratory’s capability to determine causes of death more accurately and efficiently.

This program is funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.