1 Killed, 2 Injured When Vehicle Careens Off I-15 In Temecula

TEMECULA, CA — A 28-year-old Riverside woman was killed and two others were injured early Saturday after their vehicle went off Interstate 15 and hit a tree in Temecula.

Cynthia Avalos was seated in the front passenger seat of a 2004 Scion xA that was traveling southbound on the freeway around 1:05 a.m. when the driver lost control just south of Rancho California Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The car went down an embankment along the west side of the freeway and crashed into a tree near Mercedes street, the CHP reported.

Avalos, the male driver, and a male passenger were extricated from the wreckage by Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department crews. All three were hospitalized with major injuries, but Avalos succumbed to hers at 3:38 a.m. Saturday.

According to the CHP, the vehicle's driver was arrested for DUI.

The tree that was hit was sheared off at its base and landed on a parked car along Mercedes Street, the CHP said.

—Toni McAllister