East County
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A Jeep hauling a rented trailer overturned on Interstate 8 early Friday, killing the driver and injuring his passenger.
Matthew Kopchak, 20, was dead at the scene with massive head injuries from the 1 a.m. accident, which occurred in the westbound lanes of I-8 where it crosses Crestwood Road in southeastern San Diego County.
Ronald Nanne, 18, suffered minor injuries and was taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital.
The two friends were from Plainfield, N.J., and had been driving cross-country, said Deputy Coroner Robert Engel.
Kopchak “lost control of the Jeep, struck a guardrail, and the Jeep and a U-Haul trailer overturned,” Engel said.
Nanne is in good condition at the hospital with a broken finger, said spokeswoman Gwen Barnett.
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