Passenger killed in Oceanside crash, driver arrested on suspicion of DUI

OCEANSIDE (CNS) - A 25-year-old Vista man was arrested on suspicion of DUI after crashing his car on an Interstate 5 offramp in Oceanside, killing a 22-year-old Oceanside man in the back seat, authorities said Wednesday.

The crash happened about 9:50 p.m. Tuesday at the state Route 76 transition ramp from northbound Interstate 5, California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Latulippe said.

The driver of the Honda Accord sedan was moving at a high speed when he entered the transition ramp, drifted to the left, struck an embankment next to the roadway and overturned the car, Latulippe said. As the sedan rolled, the unrestrained passenger in the back seat was ejected.

The Honda then came to rest on its roof in the left lane of the transition ramp.

The ejected passenger was airlifted to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, where he was pronounced dead, the officer said. The victim's name was withheld pending family notification.

The Honda driver and a 23-year-old Carlsbad man, who had been in the front passenger seat, were each treated at the scene for minor injuries, Latulippe said.

Investigators arrested the driver, later identified as Tyler James Cochran of Vista, on suspicion of DUI, he said. Cochran was booked into Vista Detention Facility and was expected to face charges for felony DUI and manslaughter.