A head-on collision near the Rancho Monserate Country Club killed a motorist Wednesday, injured two other people and left a DUI suspect under arrest.
The wreck occurred shortly before 5:30 a.m., when a northbound 2012 Chevrolet Suburban veered across a set of double yellow lines on a curving stretch of Old Highway 395 in the Pala area, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The SUV smashed into an oncoming 2015 Nissan Versa near West Lilac Road, killing the 62-year-old Escondido man behind the wheel of the sedan. His name was withheld pending family notification.
Following the fatal collision, a southbound 2014 Toyota Prius crashed into the back of the Versa, CHP public-affairs Officer Chris Parent said. Medics took its two occupants — a 56-year-old Escondido man and his 58-year- old wife — to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido for treatment of minor injuries.
The driver of the Suburban, 34-year-old Garrett James Gelrud of Vista, allegedly ran off as emergency crews were en route, Parent said. Authorities arrested the suspect later in the morning at a gas station on state Route 76, about a mile north of where the accident occurred.
Gelrud was booked into county jail in Vista on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, hit-and-run, and felony drunken driving. He was being held without bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Friday afternoon.
— City News Service
