A motorist was killed Wednesday in a crash on the Ortega (74) Highway west of Lake Elsinore, during which the victim’s sedan rolled down a steep embankment.
The fatality occurred at 1:25 p.m. Wednesday on the westbound side of the corridor, near Main Divide Truck Trail, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The agency said the victim, whose identity was not immediately released, was at the wheel of a Honda Civic that apparently went out of control and veered off the highway, going down a steep hillside.
The car rolled an unknown number of times before coming to rest at the bottom of the embankment.
Other drivers stopped and called 911.
Riverside County Fire Department crews reached the location less than a half-hour later, and firefighters hiked down to the vehicle, pronouncing the motorist dead at the scene.
Both sides of the 74 were shut down shortly before 3 p.m. while fire engines were parked there. However, the highway was reopened by 3:20 p.m.
Because of the terrain, CHP officers and sheriff’s deputies were trying to arrange an airlift to remove the victim from the wreckage. As of 4 p.m., the operation had not yet gone forward.
The CHP and coroner’s officials were handling the investigation.