OCEANSIDE (CBS 8) – A suspected drunk driver slammed into a tree, splitting the car in half and killing his passenger Wednesday night along Oceanside Boulevard.
Police say the wreck happened around 6:30 p.m. in the 4000 block of Oceanside Boulevard near Avenida del Oro in Oceanside. The Acura Integra hit a palm tree in the center divide, splitting the vehicle into two parts. One half of the car flew across the divide into the westbound lanes and collided head-on with an oncoming Nissan Sentra.
His female passenger, described by police as an Oceanside resident in her early 20s, was killed by the impact. Her body was trapped in the wreckage for at least two hours. Rescue workers arriving on the scene managed to extract her body using the jaws of life.
The driver was thrown from the car and landed in the westbound lanes of Oceanside Boulevard. He was conscious and breathing when emergency crews arrived. He was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police say the driver, described as an Oceanside man in his early 20s, could possibly face manslaughter charges and -- depending on the outcome of toxicology tests -- DUI charges.
The occupants of the Nissan, a man and woman, were transported to the hospital by ambulance with non-life-threatening injuries.
The cause of the accident is under investigation.