Traveling at a high rate of speed without a seatbelt and driving under the influence of alcohol can be a recipe for disaster.
The Press-Enterprise reports that it may have been the combination that killed two people over the weekend in a crash along the 15 Freeway in Wildomar.
Authorities say that the accident happened at approximately 1:50 a.m. on Saturday, February 19, when the driver of a vehicle traveling at speeds estimated to be over 100 miles per hour crashed.
According to the initial investigation conducted by the California Highway Patrol, while traveling at a high rate of speed, the driver of a Mercedes Benz sedan made an unsafe lane change, sideswiping a Ford Escape that was heading northbound on Interstate 15. The impact sent the Mercedes Benz into the center median. The Mercedes then rolled over several times before coming to a stop on the opposite side of the highway.
Emergency crews from Cal Fire Riverside arrived at the crash scene located near I-15 and Clinton Keith Road. Paramedics declared that the 24-year-old male driver and his 34-year old passenger were dead at the scene.
The driver of the Ford Escape, a 26-year-old Santa Ana man, suffered only minor injuries in the accident.
California Highway Patrol Officer Mike Lancing told reporters in a statement that neither occupant of the Mercedes had been wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. So far, authorities have not ruled out intoxication by either alcohol or drugs.
