A man was killed early Thursday morning after the truck he was driving flipped on its side on Interstate 8 in Mission Valley, as reported by KGTV. The tragic incident occurred before dawn, just before 3 a.m., on the westbound stretch of I-8 near the Hotel Circle Drive on-ramp.
According to officials from the California Highway Patrol, a box truck moving southbound on state Route 163 lost control while transitioning onto I-8/Hotel Circle Drive, collided with a raised curb, and overturned. The vehicle skidded across the lanes before smashing into the center divider. Tragically, the collision ejected the driver— the sole occupant of the truck—from his vehicle, and he was subsequently dragged underneath it. He sustained major injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, CHP officials said. There were no other victims in the accident, and no other vehicles were involved.
Following the accident and during the emergency response, Caltrans San Diego reported via their X page that all lanes of westbound I-8 at Hotel Circle Drive were blocked. This led to a complete closure of that section of the freeway, causing delays and necessitating detours for morning commuters.
WB I-8 at Hotel Circle Dr. all lanes blocked due to a traffic collision.
— Caltrans San Diego (@SDCaltrans) May 30, 2024
The heavy presence of law enforcement and emergency responders necessitated the shutdown of all westbound lanes of the freeway, a disruption confirmed by an NBC 7 crew covering the incident. As stated by NBC San Diego, the lanes were closed at around 3:51 a.m. and were later reopened at 6 a.m. Meanwhile, CHP has initiated a full investigation into the specific causes of the fatal accident. However, no further details about what led up to the driver's death have been disclosed at this time.
