A 65-year-old woman was run over and killed Tuesday by her own pickup truck at a Sage campground, where she was apparently trying to load her dog into the vehicle while it was in gear.
The fatality occurred at about 6:50 a.m. at the Tucalota Springs Campground & RV Park in the 41600 block of East Benton Road, roughly four miles southeast of Diamond Valley Lake, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Officer Mike Lassig said the Apple Valley woman, whose identity was not immediately released, was in her 2015 GMC Canyon and put the pickup in reverse, then stepped out of the vehicle.
Witnesses told the CHP that the victim was in the process of picking up and putting her canine into the truck at the time.
“The vehicle traveled in reverse, knocking the victim to the ground,” Lassig said. “She was unable to avoid the vehicle, pinning her under the left front wheel.”
He said CHP officers and Riverside County Fire Department paramedics reached the location minutes later and found the motorist still under the wheel. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
There was no word on the dog.
The investigation is ongoing.