Menifee Man, Loving Father Of 2, Killed In I-15 Crash

MENIFEE, CA — A Southwest Riverside County man was killed Monday in a crash off Interstate 15 south of the Temecula Valley. Though the coroner's office has yet to publicly identify him, loved ones posted Monday that he was 34-year-old Teel Whitton of Menifee, a father of two described as the "most selfless, loving person."

According to the California Highway Patrol, Whitton's SUV crashed off the side of the southbound side of the freeway around 6 a.m., near the end of the Via Rancho Parkway onramp in Escondido. No other vehicles were involved.

Whitton was driving a Nissan Kicks compact SUV southbound in the far left lane of the I-15 when, for unknown reasons, the vehicle veered to the right across all highway lanes, crossed the onramp and crashed through a guardrail before ending up about 50 feet off the roadway, CHP Officer Officer Mark Latulippe said.

A CHP officer spotted the wrecked vehicle as he was making a turn at Via Rancho Parkway and stopped to help the injured driver, Latulippe said. The officer attempted life-saving measures until paramedics took over, he said, but Whitton was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities shut down the onramp from Via Rancho Parkway to southbound I-15 for the crash investigation and cleanup. The ramp was reopened around 9:05 a.m.

Whitton leaves behind a wife and two young children, ages 3 and 1, according to a GoFundMe set up to help his family.

"Everything he did was for [his kids]," the page says. "And on top of that he was so funny, a perfect part of the family in everyone’s eyes. He would always been there to help fix someone’s car that needed work, help with your backyard projects, and with anything else, if he didn’t know he’d figure out a way to help."

Whitton was the sole provider for his family and the GoFundMe is to help them. Click here if you'd like to donate.

– City News Service contributed to this report / GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner