Oceanside

A motorist was killed when he apparently tried to pass another car at high speed Wednesday night and was thrown from his car down and embankment, police said.

Sgt. Steve Scarano said witnesses told police that 21-year-old William Smith was driving his pickup truck north on College Boulevard just north of Avenida de la Plata when he attempted to pass a slower car.

Smith was hurled down a 200-foot dirt embankment after he lost control of his truck, which overturned and came to rest on the other side of the road, Scarano said. Smith was dead at the scene, and police said it appeared that he was not wearing a seat belt.

The cause of the accident is under investigation, police said.