Three vehicle collision on Reche Road near Potter Jr. High sends five to hospital

FALLBROOK - A three vehicle collision that occurred at 2:05 p.m. today (Wed., Oct. 31) on Reche Road near Calmin Drive, sent five people to a local hospital with non life-threatening injuries, authorities said.

Officer Jim Bettencourt of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) described the accident as complex and said an investigation is underway to determine the prevailing cause.

Bettencourt described the chain of events in the accident as follows.

A 74-year-old Fallbrook woman was driving a 1999 Toyota 4Runner westbound on Reche Road and began to make a left-hand turn onto Calmin Drive. She had a 13-year-old boy as a passenger.

According to Officer Bettencourt, at the same time, a 20-year-old Fallbrook man was traveling at a high rate of speed eastbound on Reche Road in a 2005 Acura TSX.

"The 74-year-old woman said she didn't see the Acura," said Bettencourt.

When the Acura struck the Toyota 4Runner, it spun the Toyota around. The Acura then continued through the area of the collision traveling eastbound on Reche Road and collided into a 2000 Ford Windstar van that was traveling westbound on Reche Road. The van was being driven by a Fallbrook woman who had three children in the vehicle with her.

The 20-year-old driver of the Acura had a 24-year-old female and a 17-year-old female as passengers in his vehicle.

According to the young man and his passengers in the Acura, they were not speeding and the 74-year-old woman in the 4Runner was not heading west on Reche initially, but coming out of Calmin, turning onto Reche westbound. The driver and front passenger in the Acura claim that a witness who was following the van and saw the entire accident corroborates their story.

The front seat passenger in the Acura said, “We saw her coming out of Calmin. She didn’t even start to come out onto Reche until we were at the top of the hill. Then she pulled out in front of us. She didn't see us because she did not look our way. The woman sped into us."

According to the young man driving the Acura, he had to veer to the left to avoid her and she struck his front passenger tire, which pushed him into oncoming traffic and the van with the woman and the three kids.

The individuals transported to the hospital for treatment included the 17-year-old passenger in the Acura, and the woman driving the Windstar van as well as her three children passengers.

Bettencourt said the children were taken to the hospital "as a precautionary measure."

Given the complexity of the incident, Bettencourt said he is unsure what the final determination of cause will be relating to the crash, given two factors exist - one vehicle turning in front of another and one vehicle doing a high rate of speed.

"It's too early to speculate on that," he said.

The names of those involved in the crash have not been released at this time.

(previous story, Wed., Oct. 31, 2012, 3:15 p.m.)

Three vehicle collisions occurs on Reche Road near Potter Jr. High School

Debbie Ramsey

Managing Editor

A three vehicle collision occurred at approximately 2:05 p.m. today (Wed., Oct. 31) on Reche Road near Calmin Drive. The California Highway Patrol has described aspects of the crash as a head-on collision, and noted that as many as four people may have been injured.

Some of those injured have been transported to Fallbrook Hospital.

A witness at the scene said reportedly a vehicle was traveling eastbound on Reche Road, approaching the Calmin Drive intersection when a vehicle pulled out of Calmin and into traffic. The eastbound vehicle then veered left into the other lane to avoid hitting the other vehicle and came into contact with a third vehicle that was traveling westbound on Reche Road.

No further information is available from authorities at this time. Watch this site for updates as more information is received.