Chain-Reaction Crash Injures 7 On I-15
A chain-reaction crash triggered by a city bus on Interstate 15 in Temecula today injured at least seven people, including the bus driver, who nearly lost his leg, a California Highway Patrol officer said.
The multi-vehicle wreck occurred about 7:50 a.m. on the southbound I-15, at the exit to Winchester Road.
According to CHP Officer Nathan Baer, a Riverside Transit Agency bus was in the slow lane when traffic ahead of it came to a stop and the driver failed to notice in time.
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Baer said the RTA bus plowed into an Isuzu box truck, which struck a gray Nissan pickup truck, causing a Chevrolet sport utility vehicle to rearend a Ford Expedition.
The force of the impact on the Isuzu spun it onto the right shoulder and down an embankment, where it overturned, according to Baer.
He said the Nissan flipped over after hitting the Chevy, and the RTA bus went out of control, traveling across all lanes of the southbound side of I- 15 until striking the center divider.
The driver’s right leg was nearly severed in the collision, and he was rushed to nearby Inland Valley Medical Center in serious condition, Baer said.
Five passengers aboard the bus suffered minor to moderate injuries and were taken to the hospital, along with the Nissan driver, whose face was severely cut in the crash, according to the CHP officer.
The conditions of the other motorists were not immediately known.
Three lanes of the freeway were shut down for more than two hours, clogging southbound traffic for at least five miles, to the I-15 and Interstate 215 interchange, according to the CHP. A SigAlert was issued at 8 a.m. and lifted just before noon.
