1 Killed, 5 Injured In Memorial Day Crash In Pala Area

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA — A Memorial Day pileup on a rural road near Pala Casino left one person dead, five others injured and a motorist under arrest on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, authorities said Tuesday.

The fatal wreck took place shortly after 9 p.m. Monday, when a 23-year-old woman lost control of the Toyota Camry she was driving on state Route 76 in Pala, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The eastbound car veered into a westbound lane near Magee Road, causing a series of collisions involving the Toyota, a Hyundai Santa Fe, a Jeep Laredo and a Lexus GS-350, CHP public-affairs Officer Hunter Gerber said.

The accident left the driver the Lexus, a 65-year-old Fountain Valley woman, dead at the scene.

Her name was withheld pending family notification.

The other motorists, a passenger in the Toyota and another person who had been riding in the Jeep were treated for minor to moderately series injuries.

The driver of the Camry, Bianca Anahy Hernandez of Pauma Valley, was treated at a hospital, then booked into county jail in Vista on suspicion of felony DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter, Gerber said.

— City News Service