Update: The victim in the Oceanside incident has been identified by the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s office as Mireyya Hernandez, 22-years-old of Descanso.
San Diego County CA— Two people have died and several people had to be extricated from separate solo vehicle crashes in Encinitas and Oceanside.
In Encinitas just before 5:30pm, a solo vehicle accident occurred on Encinitas Blvd. at Vulcan Ave.The driver suffered from a medical condition while driving east on Encinitas Blvd. According to the three passengers in the mini-van at the time of the accident, the driver rolled his head backwards and passed out. The vehicle veered right off the roadway and flipping on its side.
The three passengers were family members and were not injured as a result of the collision. There was no property damage except to the solo vehicle and shrubbery. The driver had to be extricated by the fire department. He was transported to Scripps Hospital Encinitas.
The Emergency Room Doctor stated after he heard statements from the family, he believed the driver died from congestive heart failure.
The case will be followed up by the Medical Examiner’s Office on the official cause of death.
Early this morning in Oceanside, just after 1:30am, a full-sized pick-up with three occupants went over the side of the transition ramp from the NB I-5 Freeway to the EB SR-78, overturned and ended up on its roof next to the Buena Vista Lagoon. By the time the vehicle came to a rest, the roof was crushed all the way down to the hood/door line of the vehicle, trapping all of the occupants inside.
Fire crews from Oceanside, Vista and Carlsbad had to travel down a step and muddy embankment during intermittent rain showers in order to get to the vehicle. The first arriving fire personnel attempted to gain access to the victims, but were unable to do so due to the crushed roof and jammed doors.
An extended extrication effort was initiated involving several units and multiple types of rescue tools, including air bags used to lift the vehicles and the “jaws of life.” After considerable effort, the first victim was extricated at approximately 1:55 am and moved to a waiting ambulance. Access to the second victim was achieved at 2:00 am and after an evaluation by paramedics, was pronounced dead. Crews then focused on the final trapped patient and were able to successfully extricate them at 2:11 am, 33 minutes after first arriving at the scene. They were carried up the embankment to a waiting ambulance and transported to the hospital.
A REACH air ambulance was requested to the scene due to the number and nature of the injuries, but was not utilized. All patients went by ground ambulance. After moving the body from the accident scene up the embankment to the roadway area, the last fire units cleared the scene at 3:29 am, two hours after the accident was initially reported.
The names and condition of the victims has not been released at this time.