Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma

Sig Alert on northbound Interstate 15 at Rainbow Valley Blvd.; semi loses cargo across all lanes impacting traffic

Update at 10:49 a.m.

Alex Groves

Valley News Editor

A big rig carrying lemons lost half its load on all lanes of Northbound Interstate 15 near Rainbow this morning when it was struck by another vehicle, and all lanes of the freeway were temporarily shut down, a CHP press information officer reported today.

The 61-year-old male driver of a 2005 Peterbilt 3 axle dump truck dropped his cup of coffee and reached down to grab it. When he re-obtained his beverage and returned to a normal driving position he observed a slower moving truck directly in front of him and could not stop himself from colliding into the rear of it, CHP Officer Jim Bettencourt said.

The slower moving truck, the big rig, was being driven by a 54-year-old man from Perris. Bettencourt said the 54-year-old reported that he was traveling approximately 25 mph up hill when he felt the impact.

All lanes of the freeway were shutdown as crews worked to clean up the fallen lemons. Alcohol and drugs were not believed to be a factor in the collision, according to Bettencourt.

The incident is still under investigation at this time, Bettencourt said.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

RAINBOW - Drivers on northbound Interstate 15 began experiencing significant delays about 8:30 this morning, Wed., August 13, due to a semi losing its cargo across all lanes of the freeway, causing authorities to issue a Sig Alert for the area.

According to the California Highway Patrol, it appears that the semi's radiator "blew," which led to the incident.

Authorities have stated all northbound lanes are closed, but it appears at this time that traffic is beginning to be slowly diverted around the incident at this point.

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 
Rendered 03/20/2024 14:48