RivCo Man ID'd In Fatal Murrieta Crash

MURRIETA, CA — Authorities have identified a man who died after he was ejected from his pickup truck earlier this week.

Rafael Ortega, 45, was a resident of Corona, according to the Riverside County Coroner's Office.

Ortega was driving at 9:20 p.m. on Wednesday in a 2005 Ford F-150 northbound on I-15, just south of Clinton Keith Road when he lost control of the truck and veered to the right in a northwesterly direction, California Highway Patrol spokesperson Captain Chris Hamilton said.

The pickup traveled into the right shoulder and up a dirt embankment before it overturned, ejecting Ortega, who was not wearing a seatbelt, Hamilton said.

Paramedics pronounced Ortega dead at the scene.

"The CHP would like to remind the motoring public to always wear your seatbelt. Seatbelts can save lives and prevent injuries," Hamilton wrote in a statement.