An 85-year-old man was killed in a head-on crash involving three cars in Valley Center Tuesday night, the California Highway Patrol confirmed.
The deadly accident happened just before 7 p.m. on Valley Center Road, about a mile south of Waa’ash Road.
CHP Officer Mark Latulippe said an 85-year-old man was driving a Ford Ranger northbound in a left bend on Valley Center Road.
In the southbound direction, an Escondido woman was driving a Chevrolet Tahoe. Behind her, a Vista man was driving a Chevrolet Silverado. The man in the Silverado was carrying a passenger.
As the Tahoe and Silverado approached in the opposite direction, Latulippe said the driver of the Ranger drifted over the double yellow lines and into the southbound lane.
The Ranger sideswiped the Tahoe, kept moving further into the southbound lane, and then hit the Silverado head-on. All three cars came to a halt, blocking both lanes of Valley Center Road, Latulippe said.
The driver of the Ranger died at the scene.
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The driver of the Tahoe was not hurt; the man behind the wheel of the Silverado suffered minor injuries, according to the CHP. The passenger in the Silverado – an 89-year-old Vista woman – suffered some injuries and was taken to Palomar Medical Center.
Latulippe said the investigation is ongoing and officials have not yet determined what caused the Ranger driver to drift into the other lane.
Valley Center Road was blocked off to traffic for about three hours following the crash.
The name of the driver killed in the collision has not yet been released.
