Murrieta Man Pulled Over for Blow Out on I-15 When Big Rig Crashes; One Killed, One Critical

Moments before a big rig overturned on Interstate 15 in Lake Elsinore Monday, 22-year-old Jonathan Winsor of Murrieta had a blowout on his 1999 Dodge Durango and pulled onto the shoulder, authorities said.

He called a friend for help, and 22-year-old Joel Duenas drove out to meet Winsor in his 1994 Honda Civic which was parked on the shoulder of southbound Interstate 15 near Lake Street, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Sylvia Vargas.

While the two motorists were standing next to their vehicles, the trucker, traveling in the slow lane, "failed to maintain ... proper roadway position and veered onto the right shoulder,'' colliding with the Dodge and the Honda, Vargas said.

The trucker apparently lost control of his Freightliner tractor-trailer and crashed into the vehicles around 11 a.m., Vargas said. The trucker was killed and Duenas was badly injured when the big rig overturned and erupted in flames after striking the two cars.

"The Honda struck Mr. Duenas, who was thrown down the dirt embankment,'' the CHP spokeswoman said.

Duenas was transported to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar for treatment of critical injuries.

The name of the truck driver, a 37-year-old La Habra man, was withheld pending family notification. According to a coroner's report, it was not clear if he was wearing a seatbelt.

The tractor-trailer, filled with flour for food processing, overturned on the dirt embankment and burst into flames, according to Vargas.

Fire crews were able to quickly contain the blaze consuming the 18- wheeler, but the driver perished at the scene. A Sigalert was issued at 11:19 a.m. and remained in effect until 2 p.m., with one lane of the freeway closed in the area of the collision.

Winsor was not injured in the collision, according to Vargas.

City News Service contributed to this report.