DMV Mourns Loss of San Ysidro Driving Examiner First-ever on-the-job death occurred while administering driving test

At approximately 1:40 p.m. on Tuesday, July 11, David Ignacio Gallegos, a seven-year DMV employee, was involved in a fatal traffic collision at the intersection of Palm Avenue and Picador Boulevard/Beyer Way in Otay Mesa while conducting a drive test. This is the first known on-the-job fatality of a driving examiner in the history of the DMV.

“Every member of the DMV family is saddened over the tragic loss of David Gallegos,” said DMV Director George Valverde. “Our thoughts and prayers are with David’s family, and I know everyone will join me in offering condolences for this sad and very rare tragedy.”

Gallegos, a resident of Chula Vista who worked out of DMV’s San Ysidro office, is survived by his parents and, two daughters, ages 8 and 6.

Gallegos has been a DMV employee since August 1999, having worked at the Bell Gardens field office before transferring to San Ysidro in August 2002.

"Maria and I wish to send our condolences to David's family as they mourn the loss of a cherished loved one,” said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. “Californians dream of the day when they finally get their driver's license and David helped turn that dream into reality. Our prayers are with his family, friends and fellow co-workers."

“While mourning David’s loss, we pride ourselves in developing drive test examinations that take into account driver proficiency while being mindful of the health and safety of our employees and driver license applicants,” said Director Valverde. “The reality is, we conduct well over 1 million drive tests in our DMV field offices annually, and the incidence of any injury during those tests are extremely rare,” said Director Valverde.

Director Valverde also applauded the actions of 16-year old youth who pulled the driver license applicant from the crashed vehicle. “This young man went above and beyond the call of duty and is to be commended,” said Valverde. The applicant suffered minor injuries and was subsequently released from the hospital

Director Valverde noted that the Motor Vehicle Managers and Supervisors Association (MVMSA) are setting up a memorial fund in Gallegos’ name with the Golden 1 Credit Union. Contributions can be sent to the Golden 1 Credit Union, P.O. Box 15249, Sacramento, CA 95851-9905. Attention: Teller by Mail. Checks should be made out to the David Gallegos Memorial Fund. Show account number 776915 on the front of the check.

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