Coroner ID's Murrieta Woman Killed In Friday I-15 Crash

TEMECULA, CA — A 23-year-old Murrieta woman was struck and killed Friday morning on the northbound I-15 just north of Rainbow Canyon Road, California Highway Patrol reported.

Ariel Bridgeman was identified as the victim of the crash by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department Coroner's Bureau following notification of next of kin.

The fatal crash resulted in three additional crashes on the northbound I-15 Friday morning, and one person was taken to a nearby hospital for minor injuries, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department reported.

Shortly before 5 a.m., a 23-year-old Murrieta woman, later identified as Bridgeman, was driving a Honda Accord northbound on I-15 in the slow lane.

Her car veered to the right for an unknown reason, and she struck a CalTrans fence, colliding with an embankment, then ricocheted back onto the freeway in a single-car crash. Her vehicle spun out of control and came to rest facing the wrong direction, in the middle freeway lanes, according to CHP Officer Mike Lassig. She exited her vehicle and was standing in the #2 lane when another driver approached and struck her.

Another car, driven by an unidentified 38-year-old man from Oceanside, was traveling in the #2 lane, heading northbound at about 70 miles an hour, when he saw her at the last minute, "Unable to avoid her, she was struck and thrown," he said. "Because it was dark, and he was not expecting someone standing in the road, he observed her at the last second and could not avoid her."

The driver remained at the scene, and DUI was not suspected in the crash. The woman's identity was withheld pending notification of next of kin.

"Based upon the severity of the initial fatal crash, a SIG Alert was issued, and all lanes were closed. Motorists were using the right shoulder to travel past the collision scene," according to Lassig. The right shoulder is open for traffic, and as lanes are cleared, they will

The identity of the victim was withheld pending notification of next of kin. According to Cal Fire spokesperson Tawny Cabral, one person was taken to the hospital by ambulance with minor injuries.

A 911 caller reported witnessing a chain-reaction crash involving four to five vehicles in the northbound lanes near the Rainbow Valley Scales, accoridng to CHP dispatch. At least two vehicles overturned in the chain-reaction crashes, and another was in the center divider on its side. The caller reported seeing the crash from the southbound side, where a vehicle flipped over after striking the center divider.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating the fatal collision.