South County : Man Killed in Head-On Crash With Truck
A 34-year-old man was killed and two others were seriously injured in a five-vehicle accident Thursday on Ortega Highway near Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park, authorities said Thursday.
California Highway Patrol Officer Greg Moorehead said a westbound Ford Ranger pickup smashed head on into an eastbound dump truck hauling a trailer at 5:55 a.m. Two other small trucks and a car were also involved in the pileup.
The commute route was closed in both directions for an hour and a half.
The dead man was identified as James A. Ledbetter of Canyon Lakes, Moorehead said. The driver of the dump truck, Kenneth P. McClain, 31, of San Clemente, was unhurt.
Gerald L. Snyder, 49, of Mira Loma was in serious but stable condition with multiple rib fractures at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo. Robert L. Dixon, 47, of Perris was in guarded condition at the same hospital with a possible skull fracture, a hospital spokeswoman said.
The driver of the fifth vehicle, Larry A. Grove III, was treated for minor leg injuries at the scene and released, Moorehead said.
The CHP asked witnesses to come forward. Investigators are trying to determine how the accident started. “Everyone has a different perception of what happened,” Moorehead said.
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