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Four killed in three-vehicle crash on SR-67

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Four people were killed in a three-vehicle crash on state Route 67 near Rockhouse Road on Friday morning, May 25. Two others remained at Palomar Medical Center in Escondido on Tuesday, one in critical condition.

A total of eight people were involved in the collision, said California Highway Patrol Officer Joe Nielsen.

A Ramona woman, 24-year-old Nicole Pinning, was driving a blue 2008 Toyota Corolla and received moderate injuries with broken bones but was alert at the scene, reported Nielsen. With her was the 5-year-old daughter of her boyfriend who only suffered a seatbelt abrasion, he said.

Alexander Antonio Sebastiano, 20, of Poway, the driver of a Chevrolet Silverado truck,

and a passenger in the truck, 34-year-old Madhu Manoharan of San Diego, died at the scene, reported the county medical examiner. Manoharan was pronounced dead after unsuccessful attempts of resuscitation, stated the medical examiner’s office.

An elderly married couple in a silver Toyota Camry from San Ysidro also died at the scene: Harold Eugene West, 78, and Josefina De Dios West, 74. According to Nielsen, they were returning home from visiting their son in Borrego Springs.

Also riding in the Silverado truck were Aubrey Enriquez, 25, and Arun Gaikwad, 32, both from San Diego, reported the CHP.

A spokesperson for Palomar Medical Center said on Tuesday that Gaikwad was listed in critical condition and Enriquez was in stable, good condition.

Nielsen said the Enriquez has been able to provide a witness account of the accident, along with other witnesses.

According to Nielsen, the truck, northbound on Route 67, appeared to be traveling too fast around the curve. A witness reported being passed on the road by the truck, which was traveling at a high rate of speed, he said.

CHP said the stretch of road was dampened due to drizzle that morning.

Nielsen said Sebastiano apparently lost control, overcorrected, and the truck came sideways across the

southbound lanes. The truck, he said, was hit by two southbound cars — the silver Camry traveling in the right lane and and the blue Corolla in the left lane.

The accident forced a several-hour full closure of the route between Poway and Archie Moore roads.

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