Three people died early Thursday when a wrong-way driver triggered a violent multi-vehicle pileup on the 91 Freeway in Riverside, California.
The crash occurred around 2 a.m. Near 14th Street and involved three vehicles: a black BMW sedan, a white SUV, and a semi-truck. California Highway Patrol traffic logs showed vehicles traveling at high speed eastbound in the westbound lanes, with officers reporting that one vehicle had been swerving between cars before the fatal impact.
A witness named Michelle told officers the collision was related to a wrong-way driver, according to the CHP logs. The force of the crash left the white SUV overturned on its side near the freeway wall. The black BMW sustained catastrophic front-end damage with jagged metal scattered across the roadway. The big rig, which faced the flow of traffic after the collision, showed comparatively minor damage to its front end.
Officers discovered several bodies inside the black sedan. A fourth victim was transported to a hospital in unknown condition.
The California Highway Patrol closed all westbound lanes of the 91 Freeway and the 14th Street onramp, issuing a SIG Alert for the area. Caltrans District 8 posted on X: “All lanes closed on WB SR-91 near 14th Street in Riverside due to traffic incident.”
“Maintenance crews are on scene for clean up. Unknown ETO. Seek alternate route if possible. Check for updates,” the agency continued.
Traffic remained severely backed up through at least 6:40 a.m. The CHP closed its end of the incident around 5:15 a.m. After deploying flares and securing the crash site. Debris-cleanup crews worked through the morning to clear the highway of wreckage from the destroyed vehicles.
The incident drew the attention of multiple Southern California news outlets, with aerial footage revealing the stark geometry of the aftermath: the black car facing away from traffic, the white vehicle toppled on its side, and the big rig positioned against the flow of vehicles. The contrast in damage severity between the three vehicles underscored the violent dynamics of the collision.
