DRIVER'S VISION QUERIED IN INJURY CRASH.

Byline: Phillip W. Browne and Lisa Van Proyen Staff Writers

Detectives investigated Thursday whether a Van Nuys man's vision problems caused a traffic collision a day earlier that severely injured a 14-year-old girl.

Also under investigation is whether the girl was wearing a seat belt when her family friend's car was involved in a collision Wednesday at the intersection of Colfax Avenue and Burbank Boulevard. By law, drivers must make sure passengers under 18 are wearing seat belts, Los Angeles police Detective Ralph Kemptner said.

If the girl was not wearing her seat belt, the driver, 36-year-old Rosalinda Sandoval, could face child endangerment charges, Kemptner said.

The girl was listed in critical condition and was on life support because of severe head injuries she suffered when the car she was riding in collided with a van driven by Jose Cubarrubia, police said.

Detectives said witnesses told them Cubarrubia ran a red light. Investigators said he told them he was blind in one eye and impaired in the other.

In an interview, 64-year-old Cubarrubia denied he ran the red light. ``When my light turned green, I moved forward, and bang!'' Cubarrubia said. ``I think the lady was trying to beat the red light.''

Cubarrubia, a retired merchant marine captain who now works as a security guard, said he is blind in his left eye from glaucoma and takes medication to prevent the glaucoma from spreading to his right eye, which has full vision.

``But it does not affect my driving,'' he said, describing himself as a ``very cautious'' driver who has no tickets on his record.

Police are asking the City Attorney's Office to decide whether to file charges against Cubarrubia, Kemptner said.

According to the Department of Motor Vehicles, Cubarrubia's vision was last tested Aug. 24, and he was required to wear glasses.

The state does not set minimum vision standards, but anyone with worse than 20-40 vision is sent for an eye exam prior to being licensed, said DMV spokesman William Gengler.

``If the doctor says they have a progressive problem, then they have to pass both a vision and driving test at intervals between every two years to once a month,'' he said.

Todd Candee, a spokesman for the Nevada DMV, said vision standards are very similar across the United States, and Nevada's driving laws mirror those in California.

``But I think if we had a guy who was blind in one eye, based on his tests, we might restrict him to daytime driving or require him to have special equipment, like huge mirrors, installed on his car,'' Candee said.

Gengler said Cubarrubia's eyesight wasn't bad enough to require him to equip his vehicle with special equipment.