A 33-year-old woman died Monday in a traffic collision involving a big rig and several other vehicles on Interstate 5 near Moonlight Beach, authorities reported.
The fatal pileup occurred about 10:45 a.m. on the southbound side of the freeway, just south of Encinitas Boulevard, according to the California Highway Patrol.
For unknown reasons, a 40-year-old woman driving a white Chrysler Pacifica in the #4 southbound lane veered onto the right shoulder and hit a grey Honda Civic. This sent both cars crashing into the right shoulder guardrail and into the pathway of a semi-truck tractor trailer.
The semi-truck hit the Chrysler and the Honda, overturning the Chrysler minivan into the path of a Ford Explorer in the carpool lane. As a result from the crash, the 33-year-old passenger in the Chrysler died from her injuries.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
The driver, the passenger and an infant in the Chrysler were transported to local hospitals with moderate and major non-life-threatening injuries. They, along with the deceased passenger, are all from Guatemala, according to CHP.
Three children in the Honda Civic were transported to a local hospital for minor to moderate injuries, according to CHP.
Top Stories on NBC 7 San Diego
The incident left all the southbound lanes on the interstate blocked in the area for about one hour, according to Caltrans.
Alcohol and/or drugs are not suspected to be a contribution to the traffic collision, CHP said.
CHP asks anyone with information or who may have witnessed the incident to contact Oceanside Area CHP office at 760-643-3400.
