Man Fatally Struck On SR-78 Following Solo Car Crash

SAN MARCOS, CA — A 22-year-old motorist who had just gotten into a solo car crash on state Route 78 near Palomar College was killed Thursday when he walked into the path of another vehicle on the freeway, authorities reported.

The Vista man lost control of his 2007 Ford Focus for unknown reasons while headed east through San Marcos shortly after 6 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

The car struck a metal guardrail before veering off the roadway and plunging down an adjacent embankment, CHP public-affairs Officer Juan Escobar said.

The driver then got out of the vehicle, climbed back up the slope and walked onto the freeway, where he was hit by an eastbound 2017 Toyota Camry. The man, whose name was withheld pending family notification, died at the scene, Escobar said.

Authorities shut down the San Marcos Boulevard onramp to eastbound SR-78 and the two right lanes on that side of the freeway in the area into the mid-afternoon to allow for investigation and repairs to the damaged guardrail.

— City News Service