Oceanside CA— On Tuesday, June 16, 2015, at 6:12pm, the Oceanside Police Department responded to calls of a three-vehicle collision in the area of North River Rd and Stallion Dr.
The collision occurred when a 2003 BMW X5 SUV, traveling eastbound on North River Road, crossed the center median and entered the westbound lanes. A 2015 Toyota RAV4 was traveling westbound North River Road and the female driver was unable to take evasive action and was struck head-on by the BMW.
The force of the impact caused the Toyota RAV4 to spin and ultimately end up facing eastbound. A 2002 Toyota SR5 truck was also westbound North River Road behind the RAV4 and was unable to avoid the RAV4 and struck it head-on. Oceanside Police officers began arriving on scene and found the driver of the BMW trapped and unresponsive. Oceanside Fire Department arrived shortly thereafter and extricated the driver.
Life saving measures were administered, however, the driver succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. The female driver of the RAV4, Whitney Sundseth, was flown to Scripps La Jolla as a precaution and later released. The driver of the Toyota truck, Thomas Ruksenas, was uninjured.
The investigation is ongoing and it is unknown if alcohol and/or speed was a factor in the collision. The name of the deceased is being withheld pending the notification of next of kin.
The Oceanside Police Department’s Major Accident Investigation Team conducted the investigation. Anyone with information regarding this collision is asked to call Accident Investigator Eric Anderson at (760) 435-4796.