Motorist Killed In Rollover Crash On Highway 74 Near Lake Elsinore

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — A motorist was killed Wednesday in a crash on Highway 74 west of Lake Elsinore after a vehicle rolled down a steep embankment.

The fatal crash was reported around 1:25 p.m. on the westbound side of the corridor near Main Divide Truck Trail, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The agency said the victim, whose identity was not immediately released, was at the wheel of a Honda Civic that apparently went out of control and veered off the highway, going down a steep hillside.

The car rolled an unknown number of times before coming to rest at the bottom of the embankment.

Drivers reportedly stopped and called 911.

Firefighters arrived at the scene less than half-an-hour later and hiked down the embankment to reach the vehicle. The motorist was pronounced dead at the scene.

Both sides of Highway 74 were shut down shortly before 3 p.m. while fire engines were parked there. However, the highway was reopened by 3:20 p.m.

Because of the terrain, CHP officers and sheriff's deputies were trying to arrange an airlift to remove the victim from the wreckage. As of 4 p.m., the operation had not yet gone forward.

The CHP and coroner's officials were handling the investigation.

City News Service contributed to this report.