Car Passenger Killed In I-15 Murrieta Crash Was Not Wearing Seatbelt

UPDATE: Coroner IDs Passenger Killed In Murrieta I-15 DUI Crash

MURRIETA, CA — A car passenger killed Saturday afternoon on southbound Interstate 15 in Murrieta was not wearing a seatbelt and the driver was suspected to be under the influence, the California Highway Patrol confirmed.

The 25-year-old Ramona man, whose name was not yet released, was riding unrestrained in the front passenger seat of a 2006 Honda Civic when the driver made an "unsafe turning movement," causing the sedan to lose control, veer off the freeway and smash into a dirt embankment, according to the CHP.

The passenger was thrown into the backseat and pronounced dead at the scene, the CHP said.

The crash was reported at 12:28 p.m., just north of California Oaks Road.

The Honda driver, a 23-year-old Ramona man identified as Agustin Martinez, was traveling in the number 1 lane at about 70-75 miles per hour, when he lost control and crashed on the west side of the I-15, coming to a rest on the freeway's southbound shoulder, the CHP reported.

Martinez was sent to Wildomar's Southwest Healthcare Inland Valley Hospital with moderate injuries. According to the CHP, Martinez was wearing a seatbelt but was driving under the influence of drugs.

The CHP Temecula Area office was continuing to investigate the crash.

"The CHP would like to remind the motoring public to always wear your seatbelt. Seatbelts can save lives and prevent injuries," the agency reported.