One Of Four Fatal Pala-Area Traffic Crash Victims Identified as 48-Year-Old Hope Wood

Authorities have publicly identified one of four people killed last week in a late-night traffic crash on a rural road near Pala Mesa Resort.

Hope Wood, 48, was a passenger in a westbound Jeep Gladiator pickup truck that was struck head-on by an eastbound Chrysler 300 sedan on State Route 76 just east of Horse Ranch Creek Road in the Pala area about 11:15 p.m. Friday, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Along with Wood, another passenger in the Jeep and the driver of each vehicle died at the scene of the wreck. Their names have been withheld pending family notification.

A third person who had been riding in the truck was hospitalized for treatment of severe injuries, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

–City News Service