GIRL, 5, DIES, 2 SIBLINGS CRITICALLY HURT IN CRASH
Mother driving car arrested in hospital for suspected DUI
A 5-year-old girl was killed and her two younger siblings were critically injured early Wednesday when their 27-year-old mother, who authorities suspect was driving drunk, veered off Interstate 15 down a steep embankment near Bonsall.
The 2009 Hyundai Genesis went off the right shoulder of north I-15, north of Gopher Canyon Road, around 2:25 a.m. and ended up at least 150 feet down the hillside, where it overturned, according to the California Highway Patrol.
CHP officers, Border Patrol officers, firefighters and paramedics from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection responded to the crash.
The girl who died and her 3-year-old sister were ejected from the vehicle, CHP Officer Juan Escobar said. It was not clear if they had been wearing seat belts.
A 1-year-old boy was discovered inside the vehicle, belted into a child passenger restraint seat, Escobar said.
The driver, a San Diego resident, suffered minor injuries and was taken by ambulance to a hospital. She was arrested on suspicion of DUI causing death and other charges, Escobar said. Her name was not immediately released.
The two younger children were transported by helicopter to Rady Children’s Hospital. They were in critical condition.
Officers shut down two right lanes of I-15 after the crash. The lanes reopened around 8 a.m.