A 23-year-old motorist killed in a rollover crash along the Ortega (74) Highway west of Lake Elsinore may have lost control on a bend in the road, the California Highway Patrol said Friday.
Isaac Barboza of Menifee was fatally injured at 1:25 p.m. Wednesday on the westbound side of the corridor, west of Decker Canyon Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Officer Brian Seel said Barboza was traveling at an unconfirmed speed in his 2012 Honda Civic when the vehicle “traveled off the northern roadway edge and overturned down an embankment.”
The four-door sedan rolled several times before coming to rest at the bottom of the precipice.
Seel said the crash happened just “west of the (Ortega) waterfall,” where there’s a sharp curve in the highway and westbound drivers turn nearly completely eastbound before going back west again.
Passing motorists called 911, and Riverside County sheriff’s deputies and fire personnel arrived less than 30 minutes later.
Firefighters hiked down to the vehicle and pronounced Barboza dead at the scene.
Both sides of the 74 were shut down for roughly 20 minutes because of the public safety activity, but lanes were reopened when the fire engines cleared the location.
The victim’s remains were recovered after several hours. An autopsy was pending Friday.
“The CHP would like to remind the motoring public to be mindful of speed (and) don’t drive distracted,” Seel said.
Isaac is my cousin’s son. She was on Facebook a couple of days ago asking if anyone knew of his whereabouts. I had a really bad feeling about this. God rest his soul.