Man Dies After Smashing Into Semi-Truck Trailer In Escondido

ESCONDIDO, CA — Heavy fog is a suspected factor in the death of a man that crashed his car into a trailer attached to a big rig on the Escondido Freeway early Thursday morning.

• Also see: Dense Fog Advisory In Effect In San Diego

Around 2:30 a.m., the unidentified man's car caught fire after he rear-ended the trailer of a semi-truck on Interstate 15 just south of the Bernardo Drive/Pomerado Road exit, according to California Highway Patrol online logs. The driver of the semi-truck exited his vehicle and called 911.

San Diego Fire-Rescue teams responded to put out the vehicle fire and "immediately confirmed" the victim dead without medical intervention due to "postmortem changes and thermal injuries," the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office reported.

It's suspected that the victim did not see the semi-truck due to heavy fog conditions.

No other information was released. The CHP was investigating the accident.

— City News Service