A 19-year-old driver died and two teenage passengers were injured, one badly, on Sunday morning, April 13, in a single-vehicle crash in Temecula, authorities said.
The crash was reported around 7:30 a.m. on Highway 79 just south of Anza Road.
The Toyota 4Runner traveled into opposing lanes of traffic before moving back to the right side of the road and driving onto the dirt shoulder. Then, the SUV hit a telephone pole and overturned onto its roof, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The driver, identified by coroner officials as Preston Obeidin of Long Beach, was pronounced dead at the scene.
A 19-year-old passenger in the backseat who wasn’t wearing a seat belt suffered major injuries and had to be extricated from the SUV, a CHP news release said. The front-seat passenger, also 19, had minor injuries. Both were hospitalized.
Traffic lanes were closed for about two and a half hours.
The crash is under investigation.
