Two dead in separate crashes in county

SAN DIEGO (CNS) – A head-on collision killed one motorist and injured another on State Route 56 in Rancho Penasquitos Thursday morning.

The wreck, which involved an SUV and a compact car, occurred near Black Mountain Road shortly after 9:30 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

The driver of the smaller vehicle died at the scene, the CHP reported. Medics took the other motorist to a hospital for treatment of injuries of undetermined severity.

The accident left the westbound side of the freeway closed in the area into the late morning.

Earlier in the day, one person was killed and another injured when two cars collided on an Otay Mesa thoroughfare.

The crash occurred about 8:40 a.m. in the 2600 block of Coronado Avenue, just east of Interstate 5, according to San Diego police.

The fatally injured person died at the scene, SDPD Detective Gary Hassen said. Medics took the surviving victim to UCSD Medical Center for treatment of injuries of undetermined severity.

Officers shut down a stretch of the street into the late morning to allow for investigation and cleanup.