Community Corner
CHP Tells Motorists to Expect Delays Due to Deadly Beaumont Crash on SR-60
"The impact was so severe that the palletized cargo in the trailer shifted forward, crushing the cab of the white Volvo," a CHP spokesman said of the crash. "The driver was killed instantly."
Cleanup from a deadly overnight crash involving two semi-trucks in Beaumont was expected to last through much of Friday, California Highway Patrol officials report.
The crash on the eastbound lanes of State Route 60 near Jack Rabbit Trail was reported at 8:54 p.m. Thursday, according to the California Highway Patrol. A SigAlert was declared by the CHP at 9:50 p.m. after the two eastbound lanes of the 60 were closed.
According to CHP Spokesman Officer Darren Meyer, the crash happened when one truck-- which had been pulled over into a large turnout along the 60-- pulled into the slow lane "..directly into the path..." of another truck.
"The right front of the Volvo collided with the left front of the Freightliner," Meyer said in a press statement. "The driver of the Volvo lost control of his vehicle as it careened down a steep embankment."
That Volvo truck eventually came to a rest at the bottom of a deep drainage ravine, Meyer said.
"The impact was so severe that the palletized cargo in the trailer shifted forward, crushing the cab of the white Volvo," he added. "The driver was killed instantly."
The other truck driver was unharmed.
Emergency crews faced several hurdles when it came to pulling the other driver-- identified as a 61-year-old Rancho Cucamona man-- from the wreckage.
"The entire load of dry food items in the white Volvo’s trailer covered the cab of the truck making the recovery of the vehicles and driver’s body very difficult," Meyer said.
Because of that, part the eastbound side of the freeway was shut down until 9:30 a.m.
"The shoulder remains closed while cleanup crews remove the cargo and spilled diesel fuel from the white Volvo truck," Meyer said at 11 a.m. Friday.
"The activity on the shoulder, combined with typically heavy eastbound Friday traffic is causing significant congestion," he added. "Motorists, including truck traffic, are encouraged to utilize alternate routes as the scene cleanup is estimated to take an additional twelve hours."
Nineteen firefighters from Cal Fire and the Riverside County Fire Department HazMat team responded to the scene to clean up a diesel fuel leak resulting from the crash, said county fire department spokeswoman Melody Hendrickson.Meyer said that drugs and alcohol have been ruled out as any contributing factors in this case, and it's not yet been determined if the driver of the other truck will face charges or be cited.
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