Updated May 26 @ 7:00 a.m.
A three-vehicle pileup on a drizzle-dampened stretch of state Route 67 near Poway killed four people Friday and injured three others, including a preschooler, authorities said.
The collision in the unincorporated Rosemont area occurred about 10 a.m., when a northbound Chevrolet Silverado pickup veered into an oncoming lane near Rockhouse Road at high speed and smashed into two southbound Toyota sedans, a Camry and a Corolla, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Killed in the crash were the 20-year-old Poway resident behind the wheel of the pickup; his passenger, a 34-year-old San Diego man; the 78-year-old driver of the Camry; and that man's 74-year-old female passenger. The latter two were thought to be a married couple.
The names of the dead, all of whom were killed at the scene, were withheld pending family notification.
A woman who was riding in a back seat of the Silverado was taken to a trauma center with internal injuries, CHP public affairs Officer Brian Pennings said. Her condition was not released.
Medics took the 24-year-old driver of the Corolla, a Ramona resident, and her 5-year-old female passenger to hospitals for treatment of injuries that were not considered life-threatening, Pennings said.
The violent crash forced a several-hour closure of the route between Poway and Archie Moore roads. In the early afternoon, authorities began allowing traffic through the area over one lane.
The road fully reopened about 4:30 p.m., according to the CHP.
It was unclear why the driver of the pickup lost control, though witnesses said he was speeding, according to Pennings. Additionally, the roadway was moist at the time due to misty weather, Pennings said.
-City News Service
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