ESCONDIDO – A 56-year-old Murrieta man died Wednesday morning after he lost control of his SUV on Interstate 15, the California Highway Patrol said.

Gary Edward Kaiser was heading south on the freeway north of El Norte Parkway in a Chevrolet Avalanche about 8:10 a.m. when he crashed, the Medical Examiner's Office said.

The Highway Patrol said the driver, who had been merging in and out of the left three lanes, lost control as he approached slower traffic and swerved across the freeway, from the left side to the right.

The SUV went over an embankment on the right and overturned several times, killing Kaiser, the CHP said.

A pickup truck heading south on the right middle lane was rear-ended by another vehicle when the pickup's driver stopped abruptly to avoid the first crash, the CHP said.

That crash caused another rear-end collision involving a fourth driver. All the drivers involved in the secondary crashes were wearing seat belts and were not injured.

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