Part of state Route 67 at Scripps Poway Parkway remained closed through the early evening Friday while California Highway Patrol officers investigated a fatal traffic collision.
A Lakeside man, 23, died in the wreck, while two others suffered injuries, according to CHP Officer Travis Garrow.
Authorities received reports of the collision shortly after 1 p.m. on southbound SR-67 and Lazy Acres Drive.
The man who died was driving a Honda Accord northbound on SR-67 south of the parkway when he tried to pass a big rig. A Toyota Highlander driven by a Lakeside woman, 44, and carrying a teen-aged female passenger was headed south.
For unknown reasons, the Honda “collided with the Freightliner, causing both drivers to lose control of their vehicles,” Garrow said. “The Honda spun out of control and traveled into the southbound lane, where it struck the Toyota.”
It was unclear if the Honda crossed into an oncoming lane in the attempt to pass the big rig.
The three vehicles veered off the road and down a dirt embankment. All the occupants were believed to have been buckled in, Garrow said.
Nevertheless, the Honda driver suffered major injuries and was flown to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido. Doctors there pronounced him dead, and the CHP withheld his name pending family notification.
The Toyota driver suffered major injuries and her passenger suffered moderate injuries. Both were transported to Palomar.
The trucker walked away without injuries.
It was not immediately clear if drugs or alcohol were factors in the collision.
Dispatchers initially could not confirm the number of injuries, but said patrols summoned a helicopter to airlift patients.
Motorists were detoured to Scripps Poway Parkway. Shortly before 5:30 p.m., Caltrans announced that one lane in each direction had reopened.
– City News Service
Updated 4:25 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. Oct. 8, 2021