A 62-year-old La Mesa man was killed and a 22-year-old Ramona man suffered minor injuries Friday in a head-on collision on state Route 78 in Ramona, authorities said.
The crash occurred just before 5 a.m., with the La Mesa man driving a Honda Civic east on SR-78, east of Ramona Trails Drive, and the Ramona man, in a Nissan Altima, heading west, said officer Jared Grieshaber, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol.
Grieshaber said the Ramona man entered the eastbound lane and collided with the Honda.
The La Mesa resident was declared dead at the scene, Grieshaber said — adding that the other driver declined medical transport. CHP was investigating whether drugs or alcohol were a factor in the collision, the spokesman said.
The deceased man’s identity was not released pending notification of next of kin. CHP did not release the surviving driver’s name.
A Sig Alert was issued for SR-78 in both directions at 5:18 a.m. The road was reopened just before 8 a.m., the CHP said.
Updated at 2:58 p.m. Nov. 25, 2022
–City News Service