Driver Sought in San Diego Accident That Killed O.C. Boy

Investigators are searching for the driver of a car that struck and killed a San Juan Capistrano boy as he wandered from his family’s utility truck, which was on fire and parked on the shoulder of the road, authorities said Friday.

“Family members heard the sound of impact, and then saw the boy lying there,” California Highway Patrol Sgt. Doc Mehrtens said.

Francisco Guadalupe Ramirez, 8, died on the way to Paradise Valley Hospital in National City.

The family had been traveling south on the Inland Freeway about 9:30 p.m. Thursday, when smoke began billowing from the hood of their car, the CHP said. The car containing three adults and three children was pulled to the shoulder of the freeway, near the 43rd Street offramp, Mehrtens said. They opened the hood and found an engine fire.

“As two adults were trying to put it out by throwing dirt on the engine, the 8-year-old crossed a 30- to 40-foot median separating the 43rd Street offramp from the right shoulder of I-805,” Mehrtens said. “A vehicle exiting 43rd Street struck and killed the boy as it moved from the offramp lane.”

Relatives told police they had lost sight of the youngster while trying to put out the fire and did not see the car that struck him. Evidence indicates the car is a compact model from the 1980s, possibly a light-tan Toyota Tercel or Corolla, Mehrtens said.

Investigators are asking anyone with information about the accident to call (619) 467-3300.