A motorist was struck and killed Friday on Interstate 15 just south of Corona when a big rig plowed into the victim’s sedan, which was stalled in the slow lane, causing the tractor-trailer to roll onto its side.
The fatality occurred about 2:40 a.m. on the southbound side of I-15, just north of Temescal Canyon Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Sgt. Phil Rogers told City News Service that a Kia broke down in the slow lane, and the car was completely “blacked out,” without any hazard or other lights engaged.
“A big rig was in the No. 3 lane, and the driver did not see the Kia as he approached the location,” Rogers said. “The truck struck both the car and the motorist, who was standing outside the vehicle.”
He said that the tractor-trailer, which was hauling a load of food products for area grocery stores, went out of control and rolled onto its side in the slow lane. The trucker was not injured.
Riverside County Fire Department paramedics reached the location within a few minutes and pronounced the victim, whose identity was not immediately released, dead at the scene.
Rogers said it was unclear why the car had stalled.
Some of the truck’s cargo spilled onto the freeway, requiring it to be cleared. Rogers said that most of the rest of the load had to be removed from the trailer to make it lighter so that it could be repositioned on wheels.
All southbound lanes were blocked until shortly after 6 a.m., when the freeway was completely reopened.
An investigation into the crash was ongoing.