MORENO VALLEY: Hay truck involved in 5 vehicle pile-up in Badlands

Eddie George of Hemet News and John Strangis of OnSceneTV contributed to this report.

A tow truck works to move a tractor-trailer semi-truck from the roadway after it’s load shifted and was spilled across the 60 freeway in the Badlands area. Eddie George photo

MORENO VALLEY – A truck hauling hay caused an early morning traffic collision involving four other vehicles Oct. 27. The accident – that left traffic backed up for miles – happened on the westbound Interstate 60 Freeway east of Moreno Valley.

CHP officers responded to numerous 911 calls reporting the multiple vehicle traffic collision at about 3:30 a.m.

The driver of the truck, who was identified as Adam Ramirez, explained what led to the collision saying, “I was coming down the bend when the dolly broke on the pin-hitch and it twisted up my front trailer and lost the load.”

“The load shifted and tilted and everything just fell over,” Ramirez explained.

When the truck crashed, large bales of hay were spilled across both lanes of the freeway. Four vehicles that were behind the hay hauler were then involved in a chain reaction, multi-vehicle traffic collision. The accidents and scattered bales of hay left the westbound freeway impassable.

The freeway through the Badlands area was backed up for several hours while the hay was being cleaned up off the roadway.

Four cars and trucks were involved in a traffic collision that left several of the vehicles with major damage. John Strangis photo

After several hours, officers were able to move the mangled vehicles and hay bales to the right side of the roadway, which enabled them to temporarily reopen the number one lane of traffic.

Once the miles-long backup had been cleared CHP re-closed the westbound lanes of traffic while work crews worked to finish clearing the remaining hay from the roadway.

At least one person involved in the collision appeared to have suffered minor facial  injuries in the crash. He was evaluated and treated at the scene and declined further medical treatment.

Officials reopened the freeway once all the hay bales, vehicles, and vehicle debris were cleared from the lanes of traffic. The freeway was closed for about six hours and reopened at about 9 a.m.

Officials did not believe alcohol or drug intoxication played a part in this accident, however the investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information regarding this accident and investigation are encouraged to contact CHP officials from the San Gorgonio Pass area station at (951) 769-2000. Callers can remain anonymous.

Click any image to open full-size gallery.

Traffic was backed up from Gilman Springs Road to the 10 freeway. John Strangis photo

Cars move slowly past the accident scene. Eddie George photo

Large bales of hay were spread across the freeway after the accident. John Strangis photo

A tow truck works to move a tractor-trailer semi-truck from the roadway. Eddie George photo

Vehicles move past the accident scene. John Strangis photo

Several cars were badly damaged in the multiple-vehicle traffic accident. Eddie George photo

Several cars and trucks slammed into the hay bales after they were scattered across the roadway. Eddie George photo

Officials work to clear the roadway. John Strangis photo

Large hay bales were piled across both lanes of traffic, making the freeway impassable. Eddie George photo

Officials work to move hay bales and free up the vehicles involved in the accident. John Strangis photo

Adam Ramirez, the driver of the truck, explains to a CHP officer how the accident occurred. John Strangis photo

One of two trailers that lost their load remained on the freeway for several hours. John Strangis photo

Several cars sustained moderate to major damage in the collision. John Strangis photo

Two cars were badly damaged and had to be towed from the scene. Eddie George photo

A tow truck driver works to clear one of four vehicles involved in the accident. Eddie George photo

One of several vehicles involved in the accident is loaded onto a tow truck. Eddie George photo

One of several vehicles involved in the accident is towed from the scene. Eddie George photo

Four vehicles, including two trucks and two cars plowed into the hay bales and each other after the truck lost it’s load. John Strangis photo

The scattered hay bales caused a multi-vehicle traffic collision. John Strangis photo

Several cars were left un-drivable after the accident and had to be towed from the scene of the accident. Eddie George photo

A tow truck driver works to remove one of the damaged cars from the freeway. John Strangis photo

Four cars and trucks were involved in a traffic collision that left several of the vehicles with major damage. John Strangis photo

Once the hay bales had been pushed to the far right side of the freeway, cars were temporarily allowed to move past the debris. John Strangis photo

Two CHP officers stand amidst the hay bales as vehicles move passed the accident scene. John Strangis photo

Vehicles slowly move through the area where the accident happened. John Strangis photo

Trucks move passed the area where the collision happened. John Strangis photo

Hay bales were pushed to the side of the road to allow vehicles to pass the accident scene. John Strangis photo

CHP and sheriff’s officials block the roadway to protect those working to clear the roadway. Eddie George photo

Two employees of the hay company work to re-stack the hay bales so they could be removed from the freeway. Eddie George photo

A forklift was brought in to reload the hay bales onto the trailer. Eddie George photo

A forklift re-stacks hay bales onto the trailer they fell off. Eddie George photo

A tow truck works to remove one of two trailers from the accident scene. Eddie George photo

The trailer sustained moderate damage and was twisted badly after the accident. Eddie George photo

John Strangis / OnSceneTV

Eddie George / Hemet News

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News and Anza Valley Outlook and also writes for Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg and breaking his back in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.