A motorist was killed Monday when his car struck an SUV that overturned in an earlier, possible DUI-involved crash on a rain-slick stretch of Interstate 15 near Rancho Penasquitos.
A red Ford Explorer was already on its roof after hitting a barrier separating the southbound freeway from the carpool lanes near Carmel Mountain Road when it was struck by the victim’s Audi sedan shortly after 12:30 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol. The Audi’s driver, a 42-year-old San Diego man, died at the scene.
Two other vehicles were struck by flying debris, but neither driver was injured, according to the CHP.
The SUV’s driver, a 19-year-old San Diego woman, was placed under arrest and taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla to be treated for major injuries, according to the CHP. It was not immediately clear what charges she may face, although authorities previously said DUI was suspected in the crash.
The wreck prompted authorities to divert traffic into the carpool lanes between Camino Del Norte and Carmel Valley Road for a time, but the southbound freeway was reopened around 7:15 a.m., according to the CHP.
— City News Service
