I-10 Semi-Truck Crashes Slow Morning Commute From Calimesa To Whitewater

BEAUMONT, CA — Crashes plagued the I-10 on Tuesday morning, stalling traffic from Cherry Valley to Whitewater, according to California Highway Patrol dispatch.

Two people were injured in an early morning eastbound crash at I-10 just west of Whitewater. There, a semi-truck and a Subaru collided, CHP dispatch shared. The crash caused a fuel leak and required a hazardous materials response and several hours of cleanup by Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Hazardous Materials teams.

"One passenger vehicle and two big rigs collided, and resulted with two patients suffering moderate injuries," Cal Fire Capt. John Clingingsmith told Patch. The crash caused a 40-gallon diesel leak from one of the big rigs, and the cleanup was completed before 5 a.m. Lanes were slow to reopen to CHP and Caltrans.

The closure remained at one lane as of 8:30 a.m.

As of 9 a.m., traffic through that area remained slow, with multiple non-injury crashes as a result of the slowly reopening roadway.

Another noteworthy crash occurred on Westbound I-10, just west of Brookside Avenue, at 6 a.m., according to CHP. This collision involved a Chevrolet HHR and a white and black Ford.

One of the vehicles plummeted about 20 feet below the roadway and required recovery near the bridge, according to dispatch.