Man Killed in Ortega Highway Crash

By RENEE SCHIAVONE (Patch Staff)

Authorities Monday released the name of a 59-year- old man killed in a head-on collision near Lake Elsinore.

Greg Barron of Lake Elsinore was fatally injured shortly before 9 a.m. Sunday on the Ortega (74) Highway, just west of Grand Avenue.

According to the California Highway Patrol, Barron was eastbound in his GMC Yukon when he encountered a Chevrolet Camaro coming from the opposite direction on the two-lane highway.

Officer Mike Lassig said the Camaro, driven by a 21-year-old Murrieta man, drifted over the double-yellow lines -- “directly into the path of the Yukon.” It’s believed the driver was trying to pass slower traffic.

“As a direct result, the left front of the Camaro collided with the left front of the SUV,” Lassig said. “Both vehicles came to rest on their wheels, completely blocking both lanes of SR-74.”

Riverside County fire crews arrived a short time later and spent the next two hours extricating a total of three victims from the wreckage. The highway remained closed in both directions for the duration of the operation, according to Lassig.

He said all victims were transported to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar, where Barron was pronounced dead on arrival.

The Murrieta man suffered a punctured lung and multiple fractures, and his passenger, 20-year-old Murrieta woman, was admitted to the hospital with a lower back fracture. Both are expected to fully recover.

Lassig said alcohol or drugs are not suspected in the crash, which remains under investigation.

However, he tells Patch that charges are expected to be filed against the Murrieta man. However, at this time, authorities are still determining what those will be.

– City News Service contributed to this report.