SR-79 Reopens After Crash Kills 2, Injures 3 Near Vail Lake

TEMECULA, CA — Two people were killed and three people were injured in a three-vehicle wreck just south of Vail Lake Thursday afternoon, forcing a closure of SR-79 South.

The collision happened about 2:30 p.m. on SR-79 South, just north of Dugan Drive, roughly five miles east of Temecula, according to the Temecula Area California Highway Patrol.

A 62-year-old man from Anza driving a 2002 Honda Pilot was heading south on the highway when for unknown reasons he drifted into the right shoulder and collided with a rock embankment, according to the CHP's preliminary report.

The impact caused the Honda to roll over into northbound traffic, where it crashed into a 2013 Jeep Wrangler driven by a 62-year-old Aguanga man.

Unable to avoid the crash ahead, another northbound driver — a 55-year-old Aguanga man in a 2017 Nissan Frontier pickup truck — collided into the wreckage, according to the report.

A 56-year-old man from Anza who was a passenger in the Honda died at the scene. The Jeep driver was also pronounced dead at the scene, the report said.

The Honda driver was hospitalized at Wildomar's Inland Valley Medical Center with major injuries. The Nissan driver and his passenger were hospitalized at Temecula Valley Hospital with moderate injuries.

Both sides of the highway were shut down while the wreckage was cleared and an investigation was conducted. A SigAlert was issued at 3 p.m. because of the closure and ensuing traffic jam.

At approximately of 6:3o p.m., SR-79 South reopened.