The San Diego County Office of Medical Examiner identified one of the victims as 75-year-old Grace Parsons of Encinitas.
San Diego County, CA – Two people died when a driver of a pickup truck veered into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with another vehicle Sunday afternoon in San Diego County’s Valley Center area.
The San Diego County Office of Medical Examiner identified one of the victims as 75-year-old Grace Parsons of Encinitas.
According to the California Highway Patrol, around 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 15, a call was received about a collision on Cole Grade Road at Fruitvale Road.
Police officers, firefighters, and paramedics responded to the scene and found a Honda Accord and a Nissan Frontier involved in a crash.
A preliminary investigation revealed that a 76-year-old man was driving the Nissan northbound on Cole Grade Road when, for an unknown reason, he allowed the pickup truck to veer over the double yellow lines into the southbound traffic and collide head-on with the Honda.
The 76-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. His name has not yet been released.
Parsons was a passenger in the Honda and was transported to the hospital with severe injuries, but later died while receiving treatment. Her cause of death was blunt force trauma to the torso, as per the Medical Examiner.
The driver of the Honda was also hospitalized with major injuries.
An investigation is ongoing to determine what caused the driver to veer into opposing traffic.
Original Story
San Diego County, CA – One person was killed in a suspected DUI collision that happened Sunday afternoon at an intersection in Valley Center, a census-designated place in San Diego County.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the incident was reported around 5:08 p.m., March 15, at Cole Grade Road and Fruitvale Road.
A maroon Nissan Frontier and a gray Honda Accord were involved in the crash.
San Diego County sheriff deputies and firefighters responded to the scene.
One person was killed in the accident.
It was unclear if any other person was injured.
Authorities said DUI was possibly a contributing factor, but did not give more details.
Investigators are working to determine the cause of the crash.
San Diego is navigating a complex traffic safety landscape, balancing its status as one of America’s safest large cities with a recent rise in fatalities. According to SANDAG and OTS data, the city recorded 115 traffic deaths in 2024, a significant increase from the sub-100 levels seen a decade ago. While San Diego ranks 11th out of 15 major California cities for total injuries — performing better than many peers — it remains a “high-risk” region for motorcyclists (7th worst) and bicyclists (7th worst). Notably, pedestrians account for over 23% of fatal and serious injury crashes despite representing only 7% of total collisions.
Primary crash factors in 2025 and 2026 include unsafe speed and improper turning, which together caused nearly 40% of the city’s fatal incidents.
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