Child Ejected From Vehicle In Crash Off I-15 In Wildomar: CHP

WILDOMAR, CA — A total of four people have been hospitalized Wednesday afternoon following a rollover crash off Interstate 15 — one of them a child who suffered major injuries when they were ejected, fire and CHP officials report. The crash was reported around 2:45 p.m. in Wildomar after two vehicles rolled down a steep freeway embankment and landed in a local neighborhood.

According to CHP Officer Mike Lassig, a man was driving in the fast lane southbound on I-15, just south of Railroad Canyon Road, when he apparently lost control of his Toyota Corolla. Meanwhile, a woman and two children were in a Ford Expedition in the number three lane. She was ultimately hit by the Corolla driver.

"Witnesses observed the Corolla, for an unknown reason, veer to the left and then swerve to the right where it appeared the driver lost control of his vehicle and he crossed all traffic lanes," Lassig told Patch. "He ended up colliding into the right side of the Ford Expedition that was in the number three lane."

Lassig said that impact caused both vehicles to then leave the roadway over the western edge.

"Both vehicles rolled down a steep dirt embankment which is approximately 50 feet," he said.

As the Expedition rolled, one of two children in the backseat was ejected, according to Lassig.

"One child was still fastened safely in the right rear seat; the left rear child passenger was ejected from the vehicle during the rollover," he said.

Lassig said there was a child seat in the left side, but "it is under investigation whether that child was properly restrained in that seat."

Both vehicles eventually came to a rest on their tires, with major rollover damage, according to the CHP. The Expedition landed on a dirt easement, while the Corolla ended up rolling through a chain-link fence and into a local resident's yard.

The Riverside County Fire Department reports that three of the people suffered major injuries and one person had only minor wounds. All four people were rushed to the hospital.

The CHP Temecula Area is investigating the crash.

— Images contributed by a Patch reader.