2 dead after big rig veers into oncoming freeway traffic near San Diego

Two people died and six others were hurt Wednesday when a southbound semitrailer truck in La Mesa veered off State Route 125 and into oncoming traffic, slamming into two vehicles, officials said.

The truck driver was transitioning from east Interstate 8 to south SR-125 when, for unknown reasons, she lost control about 2:30 p.m., California Highway Patrol Officer Kevin Pearlstein said.

The truck careened through a guardrail and veered across the northbound lanes of SR-125, smashing through a concrete barricade and into the transition road from SR-125 to I-8.

The truck soon hit two northbound vehicles on the transition — a Chevrolet Aveo and a Kia Sorrento.

Two women in the Aveo died at the scene, Pearlstein said. They were not identified.

Four people in the Kia Sorrento, two adults and two children, were injured. One of the children, a 6-year-old girl, suffered major injuries. A female passenger also suffered major injuries.

A news helicopter recorded the 6-year-old girl being cradled by a firefighter before she was taken to the hospital.

The driver of the truck and a man who was in the truck’s sleeper berth both suffered minor to moderate injuries.

Officers suspect speed is a factor in the crash. Investigators will also check the driver’s log book to ensure she had the proper amount of rest before getting behind the wheel, and she will undergo a DUI evaluation, Pearlstein said.

The transition will probably remain closed throughout the night and perhaps into the morning while Caltrans crews make repairs to the damaged freeway barrier.

lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com

Winkley writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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