A driver was killed and a collector sports car was left nearly unrecognizable after a crash with a tree on a residential Mira Mesa roadway Friday morning.
A 58-year-old man was driving along Black Mountain Road near Westview Parkway when, for unknown reasons, the vehicle struck a curb and crashed into a tree in the center median at about 9:45 a.m., the San Diego Police Department said.
The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. He has been identified as Saul Sotelo, the medical examiner's office confirmed.
The vehicle, a Shelby Cobra sports car adorned with a number 65 emblem, was ripped into pieces. The force of the crash sent pieces of the vehicle scattered across northbound lanes of Black Mountain Road.
Investigators could be seen inspecting the driver's seat, which sat in the center median near a tree with visible crash markings. Tree branches were knocked into lanes.
SDPD believes speed was likely a contributing factor.
Black Mountain Road was shut down in both directions for a time as SDPD investigated the crash. Lanes have since been reopened.
