Wrong-way SR-60 crash leaves two dead, two injured in Badlands area near Beaumont
BEAUMONT, Calif., — Authorities say two people were killed and two others were injured after a high-speed, two-vehicle rollover accident in the Badlands area between the cities of Beaumont and Moreno Valley early this morning, Saturday, April 23.
The deadly accident, which was the result of a wrong-way driver according to California Highway Patrol, happened on SR-60 near Jack Rabbit Trail. The accident forced a Sig-Alert and the hours-long closure of the westbound lanes of the highway while officials investigated the cause of the crash and worked to clear the scene.
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California Highway Patrol, Cal Fire – Riverside, and other emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene around 3:30 a.m., according to Cal Fire.
When officials arrived, they found two involved vehicles, including one that had overturned and come to rest on the K-Rail in the center median of the narrow and winding mountainous roadway.
Paramedics began evaluating and treating four people involved in the collision, including a woman and passenger in one vehicle and two men in the other vehicle.
Despite lifesaving efforts, both drivers succumbed to their injuries and passed away at the scene. Their names have not yet been released, pending further investigation and notification of their families.
One of the surviving victims of the crash was transported to an area hospital with major injuries, while the fourth victim suffered minor injuries and declined further medical treatment.
During their subsequent investigation, CHP determined the female driver killed in the wrong-way collision had been traveling eastbound in the freeway’s westbound lanes at around 90 mph when she plowed head-on into an oncoming Chevy Malibu, causing the rollover crash.
The Malibu’s driver and passenger, both men, were traveling from Palm Springs to Pico Rivera at the time, according to CHP.
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Both westbound lanes were closed from Interstate 10 while emergency personnel worked at the scene of the crash, but all lanes were reopened by 7:30 a.m.
CHP’s investigation is continuing and anyone with further information or who witnessed the fatal collision and has not yet provided a statement is urged to contact CHP – San Gorgonio Pass Area Station at (951) 769-2000. Callers can remain anonymous.
This is a developing story that will be updated as new information becomes available.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 51, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and operates Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS). Both are stringer organizations, providing breaking news coverage and community interest stories for other mainstream media organizations throughout the two regions they serve.
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.