UPDATE: Hwy. 79 between Beaumont and SJ reopened after 7-vehicle Lamb Canyon crash
UPDATED: Wednesday, Nov. 17, 10:52 a.m.
See Original Story below.
BEAUMONT, Calif., — Authorities who are continuing to work at the scene of a seven-vehicle, multi-injury crash along Hwy 79 between Beaumont and the San Jacinto valley announced moments ago that both directions of travel through Lamb Canyon have been reopened.
However, traffic remains heavily congested through the area and officials have urged area residents and commuters to seek alternate routes if possible.
CHP has not yet released any details of what led to the multiple crashes and their investigation is continuing.
BEAUMONT, Calif., — Authorities remain at the scene of a seven-vehicle traffic collision in Lamb Canyon south of Beaumont that resulted in multiple drivers injured and several hospitalized this morning, Wednesday, Nov. 17.
The multi-vehicle accident has created a traffic nightmare for area residents and commuters, with Hwy 79/North Sanderson/Beaumont Avenue shut down to through traffic. As of 10 a.m., officials at the scene were not able to provide an estimated time that the highway will be reopened.
LEADING THE RCNS HEADLINES:
Motorcyclist critically injured in Lakeland Village crash
Local woman, 22, ID’d after deadly head-on wreck in Temecula
Although using crosswalk, Hemet pedestrian was crossing against red light when fatally struck
Moreno Valley pedestrian, 36, ID’d after struck by pickup truck in Murrieta
California Highway Patrol, Cal Fire – Riverside, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, and Beaumont Police Department were alerted to the crash just after 9 a.m., when 911 callers reported that multiple vehicles had crashed, including at least one vehicle that had overturned.
When officials arrived they confirmed finding a total of seven involved vehicles, with vehicle parts and debris scattered across the highway, which is the main thoroughfare connecting the San Jacinto valley with the 10 and 60 freeways in Beaumont.
Photos snapped by a motorist stuck in the traffic congestion caused by this morning’s accident showed vehicles backed up for several miles in both directions. Kyle Clifton photos
Officials immediately called for the full closure of the highway and requested San Jacinto valley area deputies close the road at Gilman Springs and Beaumont police officers close the highway south of Interstate 10.
All vehicles trapped within the closure were then turned around and sent back the way they had come, which caused further traffic congestion when frustrated motorists began traveling the wrong way on the highway and using unauthorized area roads to try and get around the blockage.
Paramedics at the scene began treating the injured victims, including four who were transported to area hospitals for further treatment. Cal Fire described their injuries as minor to moderate. Three other victims of the collision were evaluated and treated at the scene but declined further medical treatment.
As of 10 a.m., multiple tow trucks had been summoned to the scene and the highway remained closed.
CHP is investigating the cause of this collision and officials are continuing to work at the scene.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
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.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.
Pingback: Riverside pedestrian, 67, killed when struck by driver who fled scene – Riverside County News Source