PALA - A 54-year-old Banning man was killed Saturday in a head-on crash with a water tanker truck, and his wife was arrested on suspicion of felony drunken driving, a California Highway Patrol officer said.

The couple's 10-year-old daughter, who was also in their car, was airlifted to Children's Hospital for evaluation because of the violent impact, CHP Officer Eric Newbury said. The tanker truck driver was not hurt.

The collision happened at 2:05 p.m. on Highway 76, just east of Interstate 15, west of Rice Canyon, Newbury said.

The family was in a Hyundai Sonata going west on Highway 76 but the mother, Linda Brown Bowman, 48, did not negotiate a curve and went straight into the oncoming lane, Newbury said. The water truck driver was unable to avoid the collision, he said.

The Hyundai went underneath the front of the truck and hit the left front, Newbury said.

None of the family members was wearing a seatbelt, he said.

Pala firefighters tried to revive the father, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, but he was pronounced dead on the scene, said North County Fire Protection District spokesman John Buchanan.

The medical examiner's office identified the man as Frank Bowman, who was terminally ill and on hospice care, investigator James Buckley said.

The mother was taken by ambulance to Palomar Medical Center, said Pala fire Assistant Chief David Osuna. Newbury said she is under observation due to the severe crash, and she also under guard due to the pending charges.

Bowman was arrested on suspicion of felony driving under the influence, felony manslaughter and child endangerment, Newbury said.

"Especially with a two-lane highway, there's no room for error. You have to stay focused," he said.

Traffic was blocked in both directions between Pankey Road and the Pala Casino while officers documented the scene. Caltrans workers cleaned up a minor fuel spill quickly, he said.

- Contact staff writer Yvette Urrea at (760) 901-4076 or yurrea@nctimes.com.