Two killed in crash on SR-60 in the Badlands

Two people were killed and three injured today in a head-on crash on the Moreno Valley (60) Freeway just west of Beaumont.

The collision occurred about 1:10 p.m. between Gilman Springs Road and Jack Rabbit Trail, in a sparsely populated area known as the Badlands, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The driver of a white convertible sports car was going westbound on the 60, attempting to pass a slower moving tractor-trailer, when the motorist pulled into eastbound lanes and slammed into a black Audi going eastbound, according to the CHP.

Riverside County Fire Department paramedics arrived 10 minutes later and pronounced two people dead at the scene. It was unclear whether the fatalities were from the same vehicle. Another victim suffered moderate injuries, and two others suffered minor injuries, according to the fire department.

They were taken to Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley for treatment.

The CHP shut down both sides of the freeway for first responders and to conduct a preliminary investigation. Traffic coming from the east was being turned back around toward Beaumont, while motorists coming from the west were being routed to Gilman Springs.