Fallbrook man perishes from injuries sustained in Oceanside collision

OCEANSIDE - An 85-year-old Fallbrook man died in a hospital two days after he ran a red light and collided with a commercial truck in Oceanside, police said today.

William Tiernan was airlifted to a San Diego hospital following the crash Tuesday morning, Oceanside police Sgt. Rick Davis said. He died Thursday at the hospital surrounded by family.

Tiernan was driving a 2001 Mercedes-Benz about 11 a.m. Tuesday on westbound state Route 76 when he failed to stop at a red light and began turning left onto Old Grove Road, Davis said. In the intersection, Tiernan's car was struck by a 2017 Hino commercial truck traveling through the intersection in the opposite direction on eastbound state Route 76.

Tiernan was airlifted from the scene with several injuries. The driver of the Hino truck and his passengers sustained minor injuries.

Alcohol was not believed to be a factor in the deadly crash, and the Oceanside Police Department's major accident investigation team was still investigating today. Anyone with information about the crash was asked to call investigator Bryan Hendrix at (760) 435-4882.