A 51-year-old man driving a pickup truck in Ramona allowed his vehicle to drift into opposing lanes of traffic where it triggered a fiery crash that involved two other vehicles, killing a motorist in a Mini Cooper, a sheriff's sergeant said Sunday.
The driver of the pickup truck was arrested on alcohol-related charges, including felony vehicular manslaughter, according to San Diego County Sheriff's Sgt. Edward Ward.
The crash occurred about 7 p.m. Saturday on Highway 67, south of Cloudy Moon Drive, Ward said.
"Callers reported one (of the three) vehicles was on fire," he said. "Sheriff's deputies arrived on the scene but were unable to extricate the victim due to the intensity of the flames."
The 51-year-old man, driving a full-sized Chevrolet pickup truck northbound on Highway 67, veered into the southbound lane where it struck the rear quarter panel of a late model Buick sedan and a Mini Cooper.
The driver of the Mini Cooper died at the scene. The occupants in the Buick suffered minor injuries. The driver of the truck was transported to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido and treated for a broken wrist.
Highway 67 remained closed until 1:30 p.m. due to the nature of the investigation, Ward said.
