PALA : Man Standing Near Disabled Car Killed
A 38-year-old Pala man was killed when he was struck by a car as he stood near his disabled car on the shoulder of Pala Mission Road in Pala, the California Highway Patrol said.
David Garcia had been standing behind his car, parked on the eastbound dirt shoulder east of California 76, just after midnight Sunday as a tow truck driver assisted him, said CHP dispatcher Hank Moreno.
The tow truck was in the first eastbound lane; Moreno did not know if its emergency flashers were on.
A third motorist, Miguel Gonzales, 29, of Pala, broadsided the tow truck and car, Moreno said.
Gonzales suffered minor injuries and was treated and released from Fallbrook Hospital, CHP spokesman John Marinez said. Gonzales was held at Vista County Jail on suspicion of felony drunk driving and manslaughter, Marinez said.
Also hurt was Darlene Garcia, 30, of Valley Center. She was treated at Palomar Hospital for moderate injuries, Moreno said. It was not known if she was related to David Garcia.
The tow truck driver, Leroy Hutton, 45, of Pala, was not injured, Moreno said.
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