County officials have identified a man found dead in a car crash at the bottom of a hill near Pala last Sunday.
Ernesto Villar, 76, was found dead in an overturned vehicle on Jan. 7 by firefighters who were driving nearby after attending to a separate accident scene, according to the county Medical Examiner’s Office. Firefighters found his vehicle at the bottom of a hill on Pala Temecula Road, north of Pala.
After climbing down the hill, firefighters found Villar, whom they confirmed had died, the office said. Officials said they don’t know when the crash happened.
He was alone in the vehicle.
The Medical Examiner’s Office said Villar lived in Mission Hills. It was unclear if that referred to the neighborhood in San Diego or somewhere else in California.
Villar died from positional asphyxia caused by being suspended in the vehicle, which had rolled over, the Medical Examiner’s Office said. Cardiovascular disease was listed as a contributing condition, according to a news release issued by the office.
