A 44-year-old woman died Saturday morning in Ramona after the suspected intoxicated driver of an oncoming pickup crossed a double line and slammed into the front of her SUV, authorities said.
The woman who died was driving a Ford Edge west on state Route 78 near Weekend Villa Road around 7:30 a.m. when an approaching Ford F-350 crossed into her lane and slammed into the front of the SUV, said California Highway Patrol Officer Jared Grieshaber.
The force of the impact sent the SUV down an embankment north of the road. The driver, a Ramona resident, died before she could be taken to a hospital, Grieshaber said. Her name was not released.
The driver of the pickup, a 26-year-old man, left the crash scene. He was later located at his Ramona home and arrested on suspicion of DUI, gross vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run, Grieshaber said.
He said the investigation is continuing.
