Distracted by radio, cab driver causes fiery, head-on wreck with big-rig

MORENO VALLEY — Three people were injured, two seriously, when a taxi cab with a fare plowed head-on into an oncoming big-rig yesterday afternoon, June 19. The impact caused the tractor-trailer semi-truck to burst into flames and the fire eventually spread to the truck’s payload as well as area vegetation.

The fiery wreck happened on Gilman Springs Road, east of Bridge Street, in an unincorporated area east of Moreno Valley.

According to CHP, the passenger from the taxi told officials the accident happened when the driver of the cab became distracted while trying to change the cab’s radio station. The taxi drifted into oncoming traffic where it smashed head-on into the oncoming truck.

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CHP, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire, and other emergency first responders were dispatched to the scene of the fiery wreck around 1 p.m., after numerous motorists and witnesses called 911 to report the head-on collision.

Callers told emergency dispatchers that after the crash the big-rig burst into flames and that three people were injured in the crash.

As the truck continued burning for several minutes before the arrival of first responders, other motorists continued to slowly work their way past the burning vehicle.

Thick black smoke from the blaze filled the sky and could be seen for miles on the clear and cloudless day.

Several minutes later the fast-growing fire began to spread to the rig’s tires, which began exploding – sending flames soaring 50 feet into the air.

The explosions sent motorists scrambling off the roadway, many of which made quick U-Turns and raced away from the flames. Others drove through a nearby field to escape the growing blaze.

When officials arrived they found a silver Mercury Grand Marquis taxi with major front-end damage. The “A Wow Cab” taxi was across both lanes of traffic with its destroyed front end against a guard rail. A black Freightliner was off the roadway and down an embankment more than 200 yards east of the scene of the crash.

Numerous vehicles were stopped haphazardly both on and off the roadway and more than a dozen witnesses and good Samaritans who stopped to render aid to the victims of the wreck filled the roadway. Vehicle parts and debris were scattered across more the 200 yards along the road and the road was impassable.

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Although firefighters quickly extinguished the truck blaze and contained the vegetation fire to about a half-acre, they remained at the scene for several hours as they removed and sprayed down every piece of wood from the burned and destroyed trailer.

Both the driver and passenger of the cab and the driver of the big-rig were treated at the scene and eventually transported to area hospitals. The truck driver reportedly sustained minor injuries and both occupants from the taxi sustained serious, but non-life threatening injuries.

Based on the drivers’ and passenger’s statements officers determined the taxi was traveling westbound on Gilman Springs along a sweeping “S” curve just before the accident. At the same time the Freightliner was traveling eastbound.

“The driver of the taxi allowed his vehicle to cross over the double yellow lines and the two (vehicles) struck almost head-on,” CHP Sgt. Randy Costello said from the scene.

The impact sent the taxi careening across the roadway where it smashed head-on into a guard rail.

Although CHP’s investigation is active and ongoing, “there is a preliminary statement from the fare that the driver may have been trying to change a radio station,” Costello explained.

While officials conducted their investigation they called for the temporary closure of Gilman Springs between Sanderson Avenue and Bridge Street. Once the roadway was cleared, eastbound lanes of traffic were re-opened but the westbound lanes remained closed for several more hours.

The accident caused a traffic nightmare for early evening commuters who were directed away from the scene onto other rural area roads and several motorists later reported being delayed between one and two hours.

CHP has not yet ruled out alcohol or drug intoxication and their investigation is ongoing.

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Hemet Eye News/ENMedia video

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 46, recently moved to Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations, including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook, as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and The Mountain Echo in Shasta 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, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s 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.