Wrong-way driver killed in head-on collision on state Route 76 in Oceanside

A suspected drunk driver was killed and the driver he hit in a head-on collision was injured on State Route 76 in Oceanside Saturday evening.

Police said the man, who was in his 30s, was driving a brown Buick Century the wrong way on eastbound SR-76, west of Melrose Drive, when he collided with a white Honda Clarity shortly before 9:30 p.m.

He died before he could be taken to a hospital.

The driver of the Honda, a 20-year-old Oceanside woman, suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash and was taken to Palomar Hospital in Escondido.

The Oceanside Police Department Major Accident Investigation Team is investigating the crash. The police suspect that alcohol and/or drugs played a role.

Part of the road was closed to traffic for about 2 1/2 hours while police responded to the scene.