SAFETY RECORD OF ROAD DEFENDED : HIGHWAY NOT FACTOR IN WOMAN'S DEATH, NEWHALL, STATE OFFICIALS SAY.

Byline: Sherry Joe Crosby Daily News Staff Writer

State and city officials said Wednesday they are confident that the newly widened San Fernando Road is a safe highway and did not contribute to the head-on collision that killed a former sheriff's deputy.

The comments came in response to a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the deputy's husband, paramedic Jake Schonert who charges the city, state and Los Angeles County were negligent in designing the road.

Patricia Schonert died in October 1995 when a drunk driver crossed the center divider near Circle J Road and hit her car head on. The driver, Tyrone Stewart, is serving a 10-year prison sentence for her death.

Officials with the city and the California Department of Transportation said the road is designed to acceptable safety standards, noting Schonert's was the only fatal accident there in a two-year period.

``I'm not aware of any safety-related problems,'' said Tony Nisich, the city's director of building and engineering services, which oversaw the $26 million widening of San Fernando Road from two to four lanes.

``We spent a lot of money improving the road,'' he said. ``We believe it to be safe and it meets all applicable standards and guidelines.''

Tony Ruffolo, an attorney for Caltrans, said the number of accidents on the eastern section of the highway indicate it's a relatively safe road.

``This is not a blood alley,'' said Ruffolo, referring to a notorious section of Santa Paula Freeway near the Los Angeles-Ventura county border that is known for truck accidents.

``It's about average with other state highways. It's not a real dangerous highway and it's not a real safe highway. It's average. There's nothing unusual.''

Robert J. Francavilla, attorney for plaintiff Jake Schonert, did not return phone calls Tuesday. Reached at his office Monday, he refused to comment on the suit on behalf of Jake Schonert and his four children and stepchildren.

During the past two years, there have been 214 accidents on the entire eastbound section of Highway 126 - the designation for San Fernando Road and Magic Mountain Parkway, which links the Golden State and Antelope Valley freeways.

Jake Schonert, a county paramedic who was re-routed from a call to the scene of his spouse's collision when a colleague realized the victim was his wife, is suing for unspecified damages, claiming that a lack of a center divider and an inappropriate speed limit on San Fernando Road showed negligence and contributed to his wife's death.

Schonert currently faces four years in prison for having sex with a teen-age relative.

The highway was widened from Lyons Avenue to Valencia Boulevard to relieve traffic congestion and improve a bridge at Magic Mountain Parkway, Bouquet Canyon and San Fernando roads.

A guardrail was not installed along the road's center divider as it was not warranted by traffic volume, and because motorists need to make left turns onto side streets, Nisich said.

Even if a rail were installed, he said there's no way of knowing whether it would have prevented the tragedy.

``It doesn't have the volume (of traffic) and there aren't that many conflicting movements,'' Nisich said of San Fernando Road. ``It's an unfortunate situation. Even if we had a rail, would it have prevented the accident? I don't know.''

When determining the need for guardrails, Caltrans engineers look at several factors, including past accidents.

Once an accident occurs that involves crossing a center divider, traffic engineers monitor that section of highway to determine if it needs a barrier, Ruffolo said.