Massive I-15 Wreck In Temecula Prompts 10-Hour Closure [UPDATED]

TEMECULA, CA — A major crash caused a traffic nightmare on part of Interstate 15 in the Temecula Valley on Thursday, leading to more than 10 hours of freeway chaos. Six vehicles were involved, including a big rig that went off the side of the freeway, according to preliminary CHP reports.

The crash was reported at 11:52 a.m. on the northbound side of I-15, just south of Temecula Parkway, according to CHP logs. As a result of the wreck, officials closed all of the northbound lanes of the freeway and traffic backed up past the border checkpoint. A sig alert was issued shortly thereafter.

While the two rightmost lanes reopened to traffic around 1:45 p.m., the other two lanes did not open until around 10 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

CHP Officer Mike Lassig said the series of accidents started when a 69-year-old Temecula woman at the wheel of a Nissan Sentra allegedly struck the back of a Dodge Ram pickup in the slow lane because she did not brake when motorists ahead of her reduced speed.

According to Lassig, a 50-year-old Downey man driving an 18-wheeler was behind the Nissan and attempted to bring his rig to a stop when the vehicles collided, but he couldn't and clipped the car, then veered across all traffic lanes, drove through a guardrail and partially plunged down an embankment at the Temecula River.

Lassig said the initial collision triggered a chain reaction, and four sedans and another pickup "came into contact with each other," with varying degrees of damage.

The Nissan driver suffered moderate injuries, as did the 45-year-old Menifee man in the pickup she hit, according to the CHP.

Within 15 minutes of the wreck, traffic was clogged from Temecula Parkway south to the Border Patrol checkpoint at the county line. The SigAlert was issued at 12:10 p.m. as the congestion worsened and motorists were at a standstill.

Riverside County Fire Department paramedics and other emergency personnel had to stop on southbound I-15 to reach the accident scene, prompting several lane closures on that side of the freeway, too, according to the CHP.

The fire department reported that a total of seven people were hospitalized— one with serious injuries, two with moderate injuries and four with minor injuries.

As a result of the crash, two southbound lanes were also breifly blocked in the area with medical personnel, according to Lassig. Those lanes were back open around 1:30 p.m., but traffic remained heavy due to people slowing to catch a glimpse at the wreckage.

As of 11 p.m. Thursday, traffic reports showed some congestion still remained on the 15 south of the crash site.

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Images courtesy: Joe Fanaselle