Winchester woman killed in crash on 76; Temecula woman arrested for suspected DUI

ESCONDIDO (CNS) - A 23-year-old Temecula resident was under arrest in a hospital Friday in connection with a suspected DUI collision that fatally injured a Riverside County woman on a rural road near Casino Pauma.

The suspect allegedly was intoxicated when she lost control of her eastbound 2010 Toyota Prius while trying to pass slower-moving vehicles on state Route 76 in Pauma Valley about 10:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The car smashed head-on into an oncoming 2002 Infiniti Q35 just east of Adams Drive, mortally injuring the 43-year-old Winchester woman behind the wheel of the sedan, CHP public-affairs Officer Kevin Smale said.

The victim, whose name was withheld pending family notification, died while being transported to a hospital.

Medics took a 44-year-old woman who had been riding in the Infiniti to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido for a precautionary evaluation, Smale said.

The driver of the Prius was taken to the same hospital for treatment of moderately serious injuries. Upon her release from medical care, the woman, whose name was not immediately released, was expected to be booked into San Diego County jail on suspicion of felony DUI, the spokesman said.

The wreck left a stretch of the rural highway closed in the area for about 90 minutes, the CHP reported.