Head-on collision with stolen truck in Ramona highway kills one

A man died Tuesday in a head-on crash after the allegedly stolen truck he was driving collided with an SUV on a highway outside Ramona, according to a California Highway Patrol officer.

The crash was reported around 7 p.m. when a Ford F-250 driving west on state Route 78, near Barnett Drive, crossed over the solid double yellow line in the middle of the road, Officer Jared Grieshaber said in a news release.

The drifting truck crashed into a Subaru Outback driving east, causing the SUV to veer off the road, Grieshaber said. The truck overturned and crashed into a tree before coming to rest at the bottom of an embankment.

The truck’s driver, a 35-year-old man from El Cajon, suffered major injuries and died before he could be taken to a hospital. His name was not released pending notification of his family.

The 45-year-old woman driving the Subaru had no life-threatening injuries, Grieshaber said.

It was unknown if alcohol or drugs were factors in the crash. The cause of the crash was under investigation.