INLAND EMPIRE, CA — The San Bernardino and Riverside County roadways were mired in traffic Thursday morning when drivers on rain-soaked roadways became involved in minor and major collisions.
Heavy rain was predicted throughout Thursday, but travel across the Inland Empire was not expected to improve.
“If you must travel during inclement weather, be aware of potential flooding, especially in areas recently burned by wildfires,” CalTrans officials advised. Pay attention to weather forecasts and listen to local authorities.”
At 6:30 a.m., California Highway Patrol officers responded to a jack-knifed semi-truck near the I-215 offramp from the eastbound 91 freeway, closing the offramp. The truck was dangling off the right side of the offramp bridge and wedged, blocking all lanes of traffic. A diesel spill also needed to be mitigated, along with salvage and recovery. Thankfully, the truck was free of cargo, according to CHP.
Shortly before that, another car, heading eastbound on State Route 74, went over the side of the road, smashing through a guardrail, CHP officers said. In that event, a tow truck driver attempting to haul the vehicle back to the road suffered a snapped cable and more traffic delays until another tow truck could reach it.
Still, other crashes and fender benders disrupted roadways across the Inland Empire before the brunt of Thursday’s storm arrived.
In Temecula, numerous spinouts were reported, though no injuries or severe traffic backups were seen as of 10:15 a.m.
One injury crash was reported in La Cresta, near the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Preserve at Clinton Keith Road and Avenida La Cresta, where a person was trapped inside a vehicle. Clinton Keith traffic up the hill was slowed during the incident, as both eastbound lanes were blocked, according to CHP. No other information was immediately available.
