Motorist Killed as Truck Flips on I-5

A Marine was killed on Interstate 5 in Encinitas Thursday morning when his truck hit a divider cable and flipped over, the California Highway said.

A woman who stopped to help was hit by a car as she ran across the highway, the spokesman said.

Patrick A. Collins, 22, who was stationed at Camp Pendleton, was thrown from his pickup and killed. The accident occurred a quarter of a mile north of Leucadia Boulevard, the CHP said.

Authorities said that Collins’ pickup veered into the center barrier cable, and that the driver’s door came open as the pickup flipped over. Collins, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown across the fast lanes of the freeway and was pronounced dead at the scene, the spokesman said.

Marion Tam, 44, of San Marcos, pulled over on the highway shoulder and tried to cross the highway lanes to help, the spokesman said. Tam was hit by a car driven by Carl Throof, 59, of Los Angeles and was taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital-La Jolla, where she was described in serious but stable condition Thursday evening, officials said.

There was no indication that alcohol or speeding were involved in the crash, or any mechanical failure on the pickup, the spokesman said. No citations were issued, he said.