Update
9:45 a.m. DEC. 26 | OCEANSIDE — Three San Diego County residents were killed in a fiery Christmas night crash on southbound Interstate 5 in Oceanside, police said today.
The names of the victims were not immediately released, but California Highway Patrol officers identified one as an Escondido man and the other two as a man and woman in their 80s from San Diego.
The Escondido man was behind the wheel of a 1996 Nissan sedan about
5:20 p.m. Monday, headed southbound on I-5 toward the eastbound state Route 76 offramp, when he suddenly veered left attempting to get back on the I-5, CHP Officer Mark Latulippe said. Witnesses said the car slammed into a barrier near the transition ramp, coming to a stop on the right shoulder of the freeway.
But for reasons still under investigation today, the crashed car moved from the right shoulder all the way into the far left lane of the freeway, where it stopped, Latulippe said. That’s where a 2016 Nissan Sentra with three occupants crashed into the older Nissan, sparking a fire that engulfed the older car.
The driver and lone occupant of the older Nissan sedan that first crashed into the barrier was killed when his car was struck by the Nissan
Sentra, Latulippe said. A man and woman who were passengers in the Sentra also died, while the 65-year-old woman driving that car was taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla with moderate injuries.
A 38-year-old Huntington Park man in a 2018 Toyota Rav4 was unable to avoid the disabled cars as he approached the scene and sideswiped one of the vehicles, but no injuries were believed to have been caused by that crash, Latulippe said.
After shutting down three lanes initially, CHP officers eventually shut down all southbound lanes on the I-5 at the point of the crash, snarling traffic. The southbound lanes were affected for about two hours during the on-scene investigation.
CHP investigators were still probing today what caused the crash and whether or not alcohol or drugs were involved.
Earlier
3:07 a.m. DEC. 26 | OCEANSIDE — Two people were apparently killed in a fiery two- vehicle crash today on I-5 in Oceanside just north of Route 76, according to authorities and media reports.
The crash took place on the southbound I-5 about 5:20 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.
At least one car was on fire when CHP officers arrived, according to the department. The crash temporarily blocked the number 1, 2, and 3 lanes. The CHP issued a SigAlert at 5:44 p.m. The CHP eventually shut down all southbound lanes at the point of the crash.
NBC News reported that two people were fatally injured in a two-vehicle crash.
CBS Channel 8 News in San Diego reported that traffic was backed up on the 5 south to Harbor Drive because of the fatal crash.
There’s no word yet regarding any other injuries in the crash. The deceased’s names were withheld pending notification of next of kin. The deceased’s ages and genders were not immediately known.
No one from CHP in San Diego could be reached for comment.
6:42 p.m. DEC. 25 | OCEANSIDE — At least one person was killed in a fiery crash today on Interstate 5 in Oceanside just north of Route 76, according to authorities.
The crash took place on the southbound I-5 about 5:20 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.
At least one car was on fire when CHP officers arrived, according to the department. The crash temporarily blocked the number 1, 2, and 3 lanes. The CHP issued a SigAlert at 5:44 p.m.
CBS Channel 8 News in San Diego reported that traffic was backed up on the 5 south to Harbor Drive because of the fatal crash.
There’s no word yet on how many vehicles were involved or any other injuries in the crash.
The deceased name was withheld pending notification of next of kin. The deceased’s age and gender were not immediately known.
