Authorities ID passenger killed in Corvette crash in Escondido

ESCONDIDO (CNS) - Authorities today publicly identified a passenger who was killed when the driver of a Chevrolet Corvette crashed into a fire hydrant and a tree near an Escondido intersection.

Joseph Lee Spear, 42 of Montana, was riding in the Corvette when the 29-year-old driver lost control of the car while speeding westbound on El Norte Parkway around 7:50 p.m. Monday, according to information from Escondido police and the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office.

The sports car veered off the road west of Fig Street, then struck a fire hydrant and a tree, leaving the car with extensive damage.

Spear and the driver were both taken to Palomar Medical Center, where Spear was pronounced dead about 40 minutes after the crash, the Medical Examiner's Office reported.

The driver was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and it remains unclear if alcohol or drugs played a role in the crash.