Fiery Fatal Car Crash in Vista

At about 1:40 AM Tuesday, Vista Sheriff's Station Traffic Accident Investigators and Sheriff's Traffic Accident Reconstruction (STAR) Team members responded to a solo vehicle traffic collision in the 1300 block of Sycamore Avenue in Vista. 

According to a witness at the scene the driver of the vehicle involved in the collision was a friend. The witness said the driver told him he wanted to see what his car could do and asked the witness to follow him in case anything happened. 

The driver was driving a 1998 Chevrolet Camaro. The driver sped away northbound on Sycamore Avenue toward the 78 freeway. The witness attempted to follow but lost sight of the Camaro. When the witness approached the area of Sycamore Avenue and La Mirada Drive he could see that the Camaro had crashed and was on fire. The witness was unable to get to the driver because the vehicle was fully engulfed.

Accident investigators determined that the Camaro struck the curb on the east side of the roadway, continued northbound along the sidewalk where it collided with a concrete business sign and an SDG&E power box. After striking the power box the Camaro rolled onto its roof and caught fire. The fire was extinguished by Vista Fire Department Firefighters. Once the fire was out the driver was determined to be deceased. The driver was the only person in the vehicle at the time of the collision and no other vehicles were involved. Positive identification of the driver will be determined by the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office. Investigation of the collision will be ongoing by the Vista Sherriff's Traffic Accident Investigators.

–Sheriff's Dept. Press Release