REGION — Authorities have publicly identified four people who died in traffic crashes across San Diego County over the past week, including three victims killed in head-on collisions in eastern parts of the county.
The most recent fatality occurred shortly before 7 a.m. Monday on Pine Hills Road, about five miles north of Lake Cuyamaca.
According to the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office and Cal Fire, two vehicles traveling in opposite directions collided in the 3400 block of Pine Hills Road. One of the vehicles caught fire following the crash.
A passenger in one of the vehicles, 35-year-old Rafael Garcia Rojas of Julian, died at the scene. Four other people were injured, including three who suffered critical injuries.
On Thursday, two El Cajon men were killed in a head-on collision on Interstate 8 in Lakeside.
According to the California Highway Patrol and the Medical Examiner’s Office, 24-year-old Ian Miller was driving a 2023 Toyota RAV4 eastbound around 11 a.m. when the vehicle crossed the center median near Lake Jennings Park Road and collided with a westbound 2023 Honda Accord.
The driver of the Honda, 43-year-old Richard Ortega of El Cajon, died at the scene. Miller was transported to Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
A day earlier, 77-year-old Dung Giang was fatally injured in a crash in San Diego’s Talmadge neighborhood.
According to the San Diego Police Department and the Medical Examiner’s Office, Giang was sitting in a disabled Toyota Camry on Fairmount Avenue near Aldine Drive around 10 p.m. Wednesday when the vehicle was struck by a southbound Saab 9-3.
Giang was taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital, where she died about 45 minutes later, authorities said.
The causes of the crashes remain under investigation.
