Escondido man dies in backcountry head-on

A 20-year-old man killed Friday in a head-on collision with a big rig at Morettis Junction in northeastern San Diego County was an Escondido resident, officials report.

Justin Michael Cook, who had been eastbound on state Route 76, turned north from a stop sign onto state Route 79 and into the path of a southbound tractor-trailer about 1:30 p.m., according to California Highway Patrol and the Medical Examiner’s Office.

He lived with his parents, according to the Medical Examiner’s Office.

An autopsy is pending.