A driver was killed late Monday night in Del Mar after a Mercedes SUV veered off Jimmy Durante Boulevard, slammed into roadside construction equipment and overturned. Deputies and paramedics tried life-saving measures at the scene, but the driver was pronounced dead. Authorities have not released the driver's name.
According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, the single-vehicle crash happened around 10:25 PM on Monday near Camino del Mar. Sgt. Kristy Trampus of the North Coastal Sheriff's Station told the paper that investigators did not immediately know whether drugs or alcohol played a role as the probe continues.
Work already underway along Jimmy Durante
The stretch of Jimmy Durante has already been torn up this spring for paving and retaining-wall projects, with crews working near Camino del Mar as part of that construction. The City of Del Mar has posted notices about the pavement-rehabilitation work and a retaining-wall effort that brought intermittent lane changes and heavy equipment to the roadside. While that explains why machinery was parked in the area, city officials and investigators have not linked the construction activity to the crash.
Investigation ongoing
Sheriff's investigators are leading the case and have not released the driver's identity, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported. It could take days for investigators to fully review scene evidence, examine the vehicle damage and sort through other data before deciding whether speed, impairment or roadway conditions factored into the crash.
The wreck closed lanes and added to traffic headaches on a route that feeds the Del Mar Fairgrounds and nearby neighborhoods, where residents have already been navigating frequent maintenance work this spring. The City of Del Mar notes that the San Diego County Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement services in Del Mar, and that more details are expected as the investigation moves forward.
