Circumstances of fatal crash on SR-94 near Euclid Avenue remain murky

A 32-year-old Lemon Grove man who died earlier this month after being ejected from his Jeep Wrangler on state Route 94 and then hit by another vehicle has been identified.

Osvaldo Ayala died in the collision , which was reported shortly after 7 p.m. on March 18 and involved both directions of state Route 94 east of Euclid Avenue, the Medical Examiner's Office said.

However, the circumstances of what led up to Ayala's death are unclear.

The California Highway Patrol said in a news release that Ayala was driving west on SR-94 when he veered left, struck the center divider wall "for reasons under investigation" and was ejected and hit by a van.

Ayala died before he could be taken to a hospital. The driver of the van pulled over after the collision and stayed to talk with investigators. Both directions of the freeway were closed as officers worked the scene.

More detail about the crash came from the Medical Examiner's Office, which said in its news release that Ayala was driving his Jeep "while reportedly being positioned outside the driver's door window." It was unclear how far he was outside the window or why he was in such a position.

A spokesperson with the CHP said the case remained under investigation and he had no further details about the incident. A spokesperson with the Medical Examiner's Office said he could not answer follow-up questions about the report.

At the time of the crash, multiple 911 callers reported several different but chaotic versions of events, according to the CHP incident log. Some believed a motorcyclist had crashed, while at least one caller thought a pedestrian was struck.

Ayala's family has started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to cover his funeral expenses. As of Wednesday, more than $3,800 had been raised.

Josselyn Medina, one of Ayala's siblings, wrote on the GoFundMe site that the family believed the crash was caused by "mechanical issues" that made Ayala lose control of the Jeep.

She said her brother was loved by many and "had a kind heart" — and she asked people to "remember him as joyful as he was and keep him in your hearts."

This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune .