Menifee man dies in Escondido crash

ESCONDIDO (CNS) - A 34-year-old Menifee man was killed Monday morning when his SUV crashed off the side of an Interstate 15 onramp in Escondido.

The solo vehicle crash was reported shortly before 6 a.m. on southbound I-15 near the end of the Via Rancho Parkway onramp, California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Latulippe said.

The man was driving a Nissan Kicks compact SUV southbound in the far left lane of the I-15 when, for unknown reasons, the vehicle veered to the right across all highway lanes, crossed the onramp and crashed through a guardrail before ending up about 50 feet off the roadway, Latulippe said.

A CHP officer spotted the wrecked vehicle as he was making a turn at Via Rancho Parkway and stopped to help the injured driver, Latulippe said.

The officer attempted life-saving measures until paramedics took over, he said, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. His name was withheld pending family notification.

Intoxication was not believed to have been a factor in the crash, Latulippe said.

Authorities shut down the onramp from Via Rancho Parkway to southbound I-15 for the crash investigation and cleanup. The ramp was reopened around 9:05 a.m.