OC Man Crashes into Stalled Truck on I-5, Kills Passenger

An 80-year-old San Juan Capistrano man driving a van crashed into a stalled box truck on the southbound Golden State (5) Freeway today, killing a 75-year-old woman passenger, a California Highway Patrol officer said.

The crash in the No. 3 southbound lane, just south of Border Patrol checkpoint in San Clemente, was reported at 10:15 a.m., backing up traffic until about 1:30 p.m., according to CHP Officer Jim Bettencourt of the Oceanside office.

The box truck driver put out reflectors to warn of the hazard, but the driver of 2004 Chevrolet van apparently failed to see the truck and crashed into it, he said. The woman was declared dead at the scene, and the driver was taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla with what Bettencourt called major injuries. Their names were not immediately available.

Three dogs in the van were turned over to animal control officers, Bettencourt said.

—City News Service