Crime & Safety
Man Dies In SWR I-215 Rollover Crash After Hitting Pole And Palm Tree
A 36-year-old man died after his pickup truck struck several objects before flipping over before dawn on Interstate 215 in Menifee.
MENIFEE, CA — A 36-year-old man was killed Monday morning in a single-vehicle crash in the Southwest Riverside County community of Menifee.
The crash was reported to the California Highway Patrol at 3:06 a.m. on the McCall Boulevard on-ramp, after a Ram 1500 pickup was found upside down with rear tires missing at the scene, the CHP said.
The only person inside the overturned vehicle was identified as a 36-year-old man from Carlsbad. He died at the scene, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. His name was not immediately released.
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Around 3 a.m., the man in the pickup was headed southbound on I-215, just south of McCall Boulevard, when the vehicle veered onto the right shoulder— where it then crashed into a CalTrans camera pole, according to CHP Officer Mike Lassig.
After hitting the CalTrans pole, the truck continued south, eventually slamming into a "large palm tree," Lassig said. That then caused the Ram "to cross over the dirt gore point of the McCall Boulevard on ramp" and flip over.
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Lassig said the man was not wearing a seat belt and was partially ejected.
Officers said Monday the crash is still under investigation and it is unknown whether drugs or alcohol were a factor in the fatal wreck. Anyone with information about the collision was urged to contact CHP, Temecula Area at 951-506-2000.
"Seatbelts should always be worn and are required by State law per section 27315 (d)(1) of the California Vehicle Code," Lassig told Patch. "Seatbelts can save lives and prevent injuries. Always buckle-up."
