Two killed in I-5 crash identified as Camp Pendleton Marines

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The two people who were killed in a crash with a semi-tractor trailer on Interstate 5 near Camp Pendleton last week were identified as U.S. Marines stationed at the base.

Cpl. Jacob Johnson, 21, and Lance Cpl. Eduardo Hernandez Zambrano, 19, were named as the decedents in the collision by military and county officials. Both were Marines in the 1st Maintenance Battalion.

The incident was reported just before 9 p.m. on Thursday, April 25 near the Cockleburr Road overpass. According to the county medical examiner, the two were traveling southbound on I-5 when their vehicle lost control and struck the trailer, which was parked along the shoulder.

Both Johnson and Hernandez Zambrano were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash and had to be extricated from the vehicle, the medical examiner said. However, they were later pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel.

The cause of death for the two servicemembers was identified by the medical examiner as multiple blunt force injuries and the manner was determined to be an accident, although what caused the vehicle to lose control remains under investigation at this time.

Authorities believe Johnson, who was driving the sedan, was traveling at a high rate of speed prior to the collision. According to CHP, it remains unknown whether alcohol or drugs played a factor in the collision.

In a statement to FOX 5/KUSI, a spokesperson for Camp Pendleton said that "command is heartbroken by the accident and [is] doing everything possible to support those grieving this loss."