4 dead, 3 injured in San Marcos, Calif., highway crash

Four people were killed and three were injured late Sunday night when two vehicles collided and went down an embankment off State Route 78 in San Marcos, the California Highway Patrol said.

The collision happened on eastbound SR-78 east of Nordahl Road around 10:40 p.m. when a 25-year-old man driving a 2014 Chevy Sonic tried to change lanes but noticed too late there was a 2003 Toyota Sequoia car in the same lane, said CHP Officer Jim Bettencourt.

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Both drivers attempted to take evasive actions to avoid a collision but instead ran into each other and drove off the road and down the right shoulder embankment, Bettencourt said.

The Toyota overturned and hit a tree. A driver and six passengers, all from the Loma Linda area, were in the vehicle.

Killed in the crash was a 40-year-old woman, a 75-year-old woman, a boy estimated to be around 9 and a teenage girl estimated to be around 17. A 19-year-old woman who may have been the driver and other two adult females were hurt and transported to the hospital with moderate injuries. The names of those killed were not released.

The driver of the Chevy was arrested and taken to the Oceanside CHP office for further questioning on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter. Bettencourt said it was not known if alcohol or drugs played a factor in the crash.

Karen Kucher writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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