Wrong-Way Driver Crash Involving Big Rig Kills 3 on 91 Freeway in Riverside

At 2:01 a.m., witnesses reported a vehicle traveling at high speed east in the westbound lanes of the 91 Freeway, east of University Avenue, NBC Los Angeles reported, citing the CHP. A minute later, a crash was reported on the westbound side east of 14th Street. Early reports from the CHP log described three vehicles: a big rig, an SUV, and a sedan.

By Thursday afternoon, the CHP said a silver Kia Sportage SUV had been going east in the westbound lanes just before the crash, ABC7 reported. A black BMW, a white big rig, and a Volkswagen Jetta were among the other vehicles involved. Two people found in the Sportage and one person in the Jetta died at the scene, and a fourth person was hospitalized; that person’s condition was not reported. None of them has been publicly identified.

Under a SigAlert, every westbound lane except the carpool lane closed for hours, as did the 14th Street on-ramp, KTLA, NBC Los Angeles, and ABC7 reported. The lanes reopened between about 8:30 and 9 a.m. The CHP has not announced a cause, and the investigation is continuing. We may update this article when the CHP shares more.

Witness accounts and early statements are not the CHP’s final findings. Responsibility turns on the investigation’s findings, and the CHP report is usually where any claim begins.

Under California law, a person’s spouse or domestic partner and children can sue for a death caused by someone else’s wrongful act or neglect; if the person left no descendants, the people who would inherit from them can (Code of Civil Procedure §377.60). Our explainer on wrongful death standing goes further. The usual filing deadline for an injury or death lawsuit is two years (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1), yet some deadlines run shorter, as our guide to truck accident deadlines and carrier records explains.

A wrong-way driver may carry little or no insurance. Then a family’s own uninsured motorist (UM) or underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage can become the main source of payment; our article on when your own auto policy pays walks through it. When a commercial truck is involved, its cameras and electronic data may also show what happened, which is one reason to ask early that the records be kept.

This general summary of California law is not legal advice; the facts the CHP confirms will decide which claims, if any, fit.

If you lost someone or were hurt in the 91 Freeway crash, a free review with Wilshire Law Firm can lay out your options. From our Riverside office, the firm’s Riverside truck accident attorneys and Riverside car accident lawyers handle big rig crash cases and fatal crash claims for families throughout Riverside County.

After a multi-vehicle freeway crash, our team can get the CHP report, send preservation requests to the companies and insurers involved, and handle the claims process. See how our Riverside injury team works, or meet the attorneys. We also covered a fatal big rig crash on the 605 Freeway in Irwindale earlier this month and an Interstate 10 big rig crash in Blythe in September.

A crash in the middle of the night can leave a family waiting hours for answers. Our legal professionals will walk through your questions free of charge, around the clock, and there are no fees unless you get paid.

Contact Wilshire Law Firm today.