After a vehicle crashed on Interstate 15 in the Pala Mesa area on Thanksgiving morning, the incident took a deadly turn as a second car crashed into paramedics assisting the first vehicle.
At 10:10 a.m. Thursday, a black Mustang spun out on southbound I-15 just north of State Route 76. No other vehicles were involved at this time, according to North County Fire Protection Captain John Choi.
Paramedics responded to the crash, assisting the driver and two other passengers.
At 10:33 a.m., a white Ford Crown Victoria also spun out, swerved through one or two lanes of traffic, struck the center divider, and collided into the ambulance that was responding to the victims in the Mustang, said North County Fire Protection Battalion Chief Greg Wilson.
Both times the cars spun out, it was raining “heavily,” Wilson said.
The driver of the Crown Victoria -- a 66-year-old man from Rancho Cucamonga -- had to be extricated from the vehicle. He was transported to Palomar Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, Choi said.
Choi confirmed the only other passenger in the Crown Victoria -- a 73-year-old woman -- was killed.
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In addition to the riders in the two vehicles, a firefighter, an EMT, and a CHP officer were also injured in the crash.
The extent of the injuries for these remaining victims is unclear, but Wilson said they were all “minor.”
The first three lanes on southbound I-5 were closed in the area.
“Being that this was a fatality incident, several lanes of the freeway are going to remain close pending the conclusion of CHP’s investigation,” Wilson said.
By 1:15 p.m., all lanes were reopened.
Choi cautioned drivers to slow down when there is an incident in the roadway and to move over for emergency vehicles.
No other information was available.
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