A motorist was killed and his three passengers injured when he slammed into a telephone pole at high speed near downtown Temecula, authorities said Friday.
The crash happened shortly after 8 p.m. Thursday at the intersection of Margarita and Pio Pico roads, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
Sgt. William Pratt said the driver, whose identity was not immediately released, was on Margarita, “traveling at a high rate of speed (and) lost control for unknown reasons, colliding with the telephone pole.”
Patrol deputies were first to reach the location and found the driver gravely injured. They attempted resuscitative measures, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene minutes later by paramedics, according to Pratt.
He said that three other people in the vehicle suffered unspecified injuries and were taken to a regional trauma center for treatment. They were all in stable condition Friday.
The circumstances behind the crash remain under investigation. Anyone with information was asked to contact the sheriff’s Southwest Station at 951-696-3000.