Motorists killed in Menifee crash identified as Murrieta residents

Two men killed in a rollover crash shortly before noon Tuesday on the northbound I-215 in Menifee were identified today.

Officer Tom Coon and Lt. Rod Strate of the Temecula Area investigate the traffic collision. (Courtesy of California Highway Patrol)

According to a Riverside County Coroner’s report, Murrieta residents Jonathan LaRue,19, and Philip Molitor, 55, were both killed when their Mercedes-Benz sedan drifted into the center median for unknown reasons before the driver over-corrected and lost control of the vehicle.

Read: Deadly rollover crash in Menifee claims two, another seriously injured

The car rolled down an embankment just off the right shoulder.

Both men died at the scene.

A third occupant in the vehicle was transported to Inland Valley Medical Center with critical injuries.

That woman’s name and condition have not been released.

None of the occupants were wearing seat belts, according to officials.

Without knowing the distraction that caused the vehicle to drift, California Highway Patrol spokesman Nathan Baer said that motorists should try to avoid an over-correcting maneuver while driving.

“Let off the gas and ease back onto the roadway so that you don’t lose control (of the car),” he said.