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Driver identified in wrong-way SR-78 crash

Posted at 5:05 PM, Jan 01, 2016
and last updated 2016-01-02 19:29:58-05

The driver of a vehicle that veered off the State Route 78, spun out of control and collided with a cement wall before plummeting to his death was identified by the medical examiner Saturday.  

John Ben Disney, 67, was driving his 2003 Chevrolet Suburban westbound in the eastbound lanes of State Route 78 in Escondido, just after 3 p.m. Friday.  

Witnesses told police that he merged into the center median at a high rate of speed and drove off an embankment before crashing head-on into a cement wall, near Metcalf Street.  

"Officers and firefighters responding to the scene found Disney's vehicle in the embankment upon arrival," according to CHP spokesperson Jim Bettencourt.  

Disney was pronounced dead on scene due to obvious injuries from the crash.   

The collision remains under investigation.