Riverside County Man Is Killed on Ortega Highway
An early-morning head-on collision on Ortega Highway on Monday left one driver dead, another injured and traffic at a crawl for more than two hours as police investigated, officials said.
Paramedics pronounced David Gonzalez, 26, of Lake Elsinore dead at the scene of the 5:35 a.m. accident on the two-lane highway east of San Juan Capistrano.
Jaime Aguilar, 25, of Rancho Santa Margarita was taken to Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo, where he was being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, said California Highway Patrol Officer Denise Quesada.
Gonzalez was driving west on Ortega Highway near mile marker 11 in his 1998 Mercury when he lost control and spun into oncoming traffic, Quesada said.
The car struck Aguilar’s 2001 Honda Civic, which was traveling about 55 mph, he said.
The highway was completely reopened about 8 a.m.
An investigation was continuing to determine the cause of the collision.
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