One of the two people in a car that careened into a tree on the side of Interstate 5 in Chula Vista early Sunday died, the California Highway Patrol said Monday.
CHP Officer Tommy Doerr said Monday that the passenger had died, but he couldn’t say when the death had occurred or provide any identifying information for the victim.
There was no word on the driver’s condition.
Dispatchers received word of a car that struck a tree on the right-hand side of the northbound 5 Freeway near J Street at about 9:40 a.m., according to a California Highway Patrol incident log.
CHP officers closed the three right lanes, as firefighters worked to free the driver and a passenger trapped in the car, Chula Vista Fire Department Battalion Chief Darrell Roberts said.
It took about 15 minutes to extricate the two people, Roberts said. Both were taken to local hospitals with severe trauma at the time.
The was no word on the driver’s condition Monday morning.
All lanes were reopened by 10:30 a.m. Sunday, according to the CHP.