Last Updated on December 20, 2018 by CCAR Staff
MURRIETA — An 80-year-old Temecula man was killed Wednesday and two people were injured in a crash on Interstate 15 in Murrieta, when the victim apparently lost control while braking for stopped traffic.
The wreck occurred just before 2 p.m. on southbound Interstate 15, south of Murrieta Hot Springs Road, said California Highway Patrol Officer Mike Lassig.
The victim, whose name was not immediately released, was in the No. 3 lane of the southbound side of the freeway, traveling about 65 mph in his 1999 Lincoln Town Car, when a 2003 Dodge Ram van abruptly slowed as traffic ahead of him came to a stop, Lassig said.
The Lincoln driver applied his brakes but lost control, spinning out, Lassig said. The driver’s side of the Lincoln impacted the rear of the van, causing the Town Car to careen into the center median, while the van was pushed onto the shoulder of the freeway.
Murrieta Fire Department paramedics arrived within a few minutes and pronounced the Lincoln driver dead at the scene. The 61-year-old man driving the van and his 58-year-old female passenger, each identified only as Downey residents, suffered minor injuries and were taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar for treatment.
