Mother, Child Killed In Wrong-Way I-15 Crash

FALLBROOK, CA —A wrong-way driver triggered a multi-car crash on the I-15 Sunday, killing a San Marcos mother and her 4-year-old child in the Pala Mesa area, according to the California Highway Patrol officer Robert Schmidt.

The crash backed up traffic as far north as Temecula until just before midnight Sunday as CHP investigated the scene where a 29-year-old San Marcos mother and her 4-year-old child were both declared dead on I-15 southbound, near State Route 76.

The identities of the crash victims have not yet been confirmed.

The truck driver drove northbound into the southbound lanes of the interstate, crashing into multiple cars, according to CHP reports. He was hospitalized with injuries considered "life-threatening," according to Schmidt. He is suspected of driving while under the influence, Schmidt said.

The three other people injured in the crash were taken to nearby hospitals with minor injuries, said Capt. John Choi of the North County Fire Protection District.

The crash occurred at 3:13 p.m. Sunday when a pickup truck driver on CA-395, for unknown reasons, drifted through a fence, down a slope, and began heading the wrong way on southbound I-15. The collisions occurred shortly after as the truck flipped onto its roof, after crashing into a white Tesla and a black Kia Forte with the woman and young child inside.

"Any time emergency officials have to arrive at a scene where there is a young child that was hurt or killed, it affects us all," CHP officer Hunter Gerber told reporters at the scene.

Authorities are investigating the possibility that drugs or alcohol may have been factors in the crash.

The names of the deceased were not immediately released, Choi said.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office was called to the scene at 3:37 p.m., the CHP reported.

By 6:15 p.m., authorities had completely closed the southbound side of the freeway, according to the CHP. More than an hour later, the freeway remained closed as the traffic backup continued to grow. One lane was ultimately opened, filtering southbound traffic through the area for several hours.

According to the California Highway Patrol, several vehicles attempted to leave the freeway due to the traffic in the area, driving the wrong way on the shoulder and center divider to get out of the mess. Some of the drivers were described as "aggressive."

This report will be updated as more information is released.

Related: Fatality Reported In Major Crash On I-15

Correction: Patch originally reported an infant was killed in the collision. CHP has confirmed the child who died was four-years-old.