Fortino Gonzalez Vazquez Killed in I-15 Crash

SAN DIEGO, CA — Fortino Gonzalez Vazquez, 65, of Vista, was killed and two drivers were hospitalized after a series of collisions on northbound Interstate 15 early Monday, Oct. 26, the California Highway Patrol said. The first call came at about 3:30 a.m. just north of Clairemont Mesa Boulevard.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office publicly identified Gonzalez Vazquez after his family was notified. Its official case record placed the collision at 3:34 a.m. and pronounced him dead at 3:53 a.m. The office listed multiple blunt force injuries as the cause of death and classified the death as accidental.

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Fortino Gonzalez Vazquez to Daughter’s Call

CHP said Gonzalez Vazquez’s daughter had stopped her Mazda in the center divider after a mechanical problem that may have been a flat tire. Children were in the car, and she called her father for help. The woman and children were not injured during the collisions that followed.

The medical examiner said Gonzalez Vazquez was in his vehicle, stopped behind the disabled car on the highway shoulder. Emergency personnel extricated him before he was pronounced dead. An initial CHP account said a Toyota Corolla struck the driver’s side of his minivan after he arrived to help.

A 30-year-old Los Angeles man driving the Corolla was taken to a hospital. Authorities did not publicly describe his injuries or condition. CHP had not released a final reconstruction, and the reports reviewed did not establish the minivan’s position or explain how the Corolla reached it.

Initial Impact Led to More Collisions

After the first impact, another driver in an SUV struck the Corolla, CHP said. A later vehicle then sideswiped one of the cars involved. The SUV driver was also hospitalized, while the last driver was not injured and was expected to leave after officers completed their work at the scene.

A later crash report said northbound traffic was diverted to state Route 52 as investigators documented the scene and crews removed the damaged vehicles. The closure produced delays on the freeway and nearby connectors. All northbound lanes reopened at about 8:45 a.m., roughly five hours after the first call.

CHP said alcohol and drugs were not believed to be factors. Investigators had not assigned fault or announced a citation or arrest. The agency asked witnesses to contact its San Diego Area office at 858-293-6000 as it continued to determine how the initial impact and the later collisions occurred.