A head-on collision between a blue Hyundai and a red Honda Civic was reported on Old Highway 395 just south of Dulin Road on Friday, with one person reported trapped and not moving inside the Hyundai as fire crews raced to the scene. The California Highway Patrol's fatality feed flagged the crash as a fatal collision, though the circumstances that led up to it remain unclear.
According to a report from chpfatal.com, the two-vehicle wreck was reported near the intersection of Old Highway 395 and Dulin Road, with dispatch notes describing the location as just south of Dulin Road. The same feed identified the vehicles involved as a red Honda Civic and a blue Hyundai, and noted that fire department personnel were en route.
Village News, which also covered the crash, reported that the collision involved the same two vehicles and that both the red Honda Civic and the blue Hyundai sustained significant damage, according to Village News. The outlet reported that one person was trapped and unconscious inside the blue Hyundai, citing an incident report, and that another person was reported in the southbound lane. Emergency responders were dispatched to the scene, and firefighters were specifically requested to assist with the rescue effort, the outlet noted.
Scene Details Still Emerging
The chpfatal.com feed also noted that a red vehicle ended up in the center divide after the crash, adding another detail to an already chaotic scene along the rural highway corridor.
No official statement from the California Highway Patrol, the county coroner, or local fire officials has been made public beyond the dispatch entries relayed through the fatality feed. Those gaps mean key questions about the crash, including the identities of those involved and any contributing factors like speed or impairment, remain unanswered for now.
A Stretch of Road With a History
Friday's crash adds to a string of serious collisions along this stretch of Old Highway 395 in recent years. In October 2024, a two-vehicle collision was reported at Old Highway 395 and Canonita Drive, according to Village News. A few months earlier, in June 2024, a 51-year-old woman from Pala died after the Lincoln SUV she was driving in the southbound lane of Old Highway 395 veered off the road, with the cause still under investigation at the time of that report.
The corridor has seen fatal head-on crashes before. Back in 2015, a driver heading south on Old Highway 395 drifted over the double yellow line and struck an oncoming Volvo just north of Rainbow Glen, according to NBC 7 San Diego. A 68-year-old passenger in the Volvo died at the scene in that crash, while both drivers were taken to Palomar Hospital, with the Nissan driver airlifted for major injuries and the Volvo driver treated for minor to moderate injuries.
No further details have been released about Friday's crash, and it remains unclear whether charges or further investigation will follow. Hoodline will update this story as more verified information becomes available.
