4 Children Hurt as Truck, Van Collide

A Vista woman was killed Saturday and five others, including four children, were injured after the woman’s pickup truck was struck by a van.

Christy D. Mutz, 28, was driving her Toyota pickup truck at 1:19 a.m. on North River Road carrying Erika Vanalstine and her four children. Erika’s husband, Stephen C. Vanalstine, was following them in his Chevrolet van, Oceanside police said.

Both vehicles were speeding, police said, when the right side of the van collided with the left side of the pickup, causing Mutz to lose control. Police said it is unclear how or why the collision occurred.

The pickup jumped the right shoulder of the road, went up an embankment and overturned into a fruit tree grove, police said. As the pickup overturned, its camper shell was ripped off and three of the youngsters were ejected, police said. One of the children was found by police dangling in the branches of a tree.

Mutz died at the scene.

All four children were taken to area hospitals by Life Flight. One-year-old Marissa and Ty, 5, were in serious condition Saturday evening at Children’s Hospital. Devan, 3, was in good condition at UCSD Medical Center. It was unclear where 3-month-old Brek was taken.

Erika Vanalstine was in fair condition Saturday at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla.