CHP: Crash that killed five people in western RivCo result of unsafe passing
A fiery four-vehicle collision in Nuevo that killed five people, including two young children, was triggered when a motorist attempted to go around other cars by steering into oncoming traffic in a no- passing zone, authorities said today.
"This was a horrific crash with devastating consequences for families, and it could have been avoided,'' California Highway Patrol Capt. Gil Campa, commander of the agency's San Gorgonio office, said. ``That is the hardest fact to accept in this situation."
The CHP said the chain wreck occurred at 2:18 p.m. Monday on Gilman Springs Road, near Kennedy Hill Road.
A Honda Insight, whose driver has not been identified, was westbound on Gilman Springs Road when he attempted to pass slower-moving motorists, steering into eastbound lanes on the two-lane corridor, Officer Christopher Torres said.
"The unsafe passing maneuver (resulted) in a collision west of Kennedy Hill,'' he said.
In addition to the Honda, a Dodge Durango pickup, Chevrolet Bolt and BMW 528i were involved in the wreck, which ignited a fire that consumed at least two of the vehicles, including the Honda, spreading into grassland, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
Firefighters reached the location within minutes and encountered the flames moving east at a moderate rate. The blaze charred four acres before it was knocked down an hour later.
Torres said two children under 10 years old were among the five people killed in the wreck.
The victims' identities were pending confirmation by the coroner's office.
Four people died at the scene, and the fifth was pronounced dead on arrival at Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley. Two people suffered minor to major injuries and were taken to the trauma center for treatment.
Torres said it does not appear alcohol or drugs were contributing factors in the deadly collision.
Officers and sheriff's deputies shut down both sides of Gilman Springs Road while the wreckage was cleared and a preliminary investigation was conducted. The closure spanned Alessandro Boulevard to the north and Highway 79 to the south -- a roughly five-mile stretch. The roadway was reopened in the predawn hours Tuesday.
Gilman Springs Road has had a history of significant crashes, which have prompted transportation improvements along the corridor, including wider shoulders and turnout lanes. The county Transportation & Land Management Agency in 2019 installed foot-high yellow plastic reflecting devices to serve as traffic dividers on the heavily used artery. The dividers were placed 50 feet apart in most locations.
How many of them are still in place could not be confirmed.
