Crime & Safety
Temecula Woman Killed In Rancho California Road Head-On Crash
The fatal wreck was reported on the west side of unincorporated Temecula.
TEMECULA, CA – A Temecula woman was killed and two others were injured in a head-on crash Monday in an unincorporated area west of Temecula.
Mary Mercado, 22, died in the wreck reported around 11:30 a.m. on Rancho California Road, about 65 feet west of Via Vueltas, according to the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner's Bureau.
Mercado allegedly made an illegal U-turn into oncoming traffic, causing the driver of a Ford Escape to directly crash into the Mercado's Toyota Corolla.
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Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department crews arrived on the scene to find Mercado already dead from her injuries. According to authorities, she was not properly wearing a seatbelt.
The driver of the other vehicle and a minor who was in the car with Mercado were taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries.
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The identity of the other driver and Mercado's passenger were not revealed.
The crash remains under investigation.
