FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News

Man killed after striking tree in rural East County identified

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SAN DIEGO — A man who was was killed last week after crashing into a tree in Pine Valley has been identified by authorities.

Joseph Williams, a 27-year-old Anaheim resident, was driving a truck westbound on Old Highway 80, west of Buckman Springs Road, when he reportedly made an unsafe turning movement and traveled off the roadway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

During the crash, officials say Williams struck a tree and the truck was found overturned in an embankment by a passerby who called 911.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office said first responders extricated Williams from the truck and pronounced him dead at the scene. His cause of death was noted as multiple blunt force injuries.

Officials do not know what caused Williams to make the turning movement that led to the crash.