CARLSBAD – A suspected DUI crash on Interstate 5 near Batiquitos Lagoon early today left a young Oceanside man dead and another arrested and hospitalized in critical condition, authorities reported.
The collision took place around noon. 02.45 Wednesday morning when a northbound Honda Civic with five people on board turned into a Caltrans construction site south of La Costa Avenue in Carlsbad before turning back to the left and hitting a Toyota Prius, according to California Highway. Patrol.
The Honda then drove off the east side of the highway, went up a wide and overturned and shot one of the passengers out, said CHP officer Hunter Gerber. The 20-year-old victim died on the spot. His name was withheld pending family announcement.
The driver of the Civic, Isidrone Martinez, also 20, was arrested on suspicion of DUI causing death and was taken to a trauma center for treatment of life-threatening injuries, Gerber said.
The other three passengers on the Honda – two other 20-year-old residents of Oceanside, a man and a woman; and a 22-year-old Valley Center woman – were transported to hospitals with serious injuries.
The two occupants of the Prius suffered minor damage in the alleged DUI crash, Gerber said.
The fatal collision forced the closure of all northbound lanes on the I-5 freeway in the area until shortly before 8 a.m., the Highway Patrol reported.
Check out The Coast News’ “Weekly Crime Report” and “Daily Arrest Logs” for up-to-date arrest reports in North County. Read more local crime news here. Also visit the San Diego County Sheriff’s website for updates.