Head-On Crash Closes Ortega Highway, Injures 3

Three people were seriously injured today in a head-on crash that closed Route 74, the Ortega Highway, in both directions above Lake Elsinore.

Riverside County and U.S. Forest Service firefighters reported to the scene at 8:43 a.m. on narrow, twisting Route 74, east of the Lookout Roadhouse, said Jody Hagemann of the Riverside County Fire Department.

The two-car crash resulted in three people trapped in the wreckage and requiring firefighter assistance for removal from the vehicles.

All three people sustained major injuries in the crash, Hagemann said.

The CHP reported that state Route 74 was closed in both directions and would remain closed for an unknown duration.

Traffic was stalled surrounding the crash site and fire trucks with the necessary hydraulic equipment to free the victims were caught in the congestion.

One lane was reopened to alternating traffic at 10:15, CHP officers said, and both lanes cleared at 10:45 a.m.

City News Service; Photo: Shutterstock