One person was killed in a five-vehicle collision on State Route 67 in Santee early Friday.
Moments after the crash occurred at 5:40 a.m., California Highway Patrol closed all lanes of northbound SR-67 at State Route 52.
The victim in the crash was a 23-year-old Ramona man who had gotten out of his vehicle to try and help victims in a two-car crash, CHP officials said.
The man was standing near the median, helping an occupant of one of the cars involved in the initial wreck when he was struck by an oncoming car.
[G] IMAGES: Good Samaritan Killed Helping Crash Victims
The impact threw the man into the southbound lanes where he was struck again by another vehicle, CHP spokesperson Brian Pennings said.
At the same time, two more cars in the northbound lanes collided into other cars; five vehicles in total were damaged.
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One other person was taken to the hospital with injuries. Further information on that person's condition wasn't immediately known.
All northbound lanes of the highway shut down in addition to one southbound lane.
An alternate route for northbound traffic would be to take Magnolia to Woodside, according to NBC 7's Whitney Southwick.
Now, California Highway Patrol officers have a message for drivers.
"First and foremost, if you're going to get out of your car, it is very dangerous and you need to be aware of oncoming traffic," said CHP Officer Brian Pennings. "We have a situation where someone was trying to help out. It's also very important for citizens to realize there's danger ahead and not become complacent when you're driving."
