8-Car Pile-up Snarls I-15 Traffic Wednesday Morning

A chain reaction collision Wednesday morning on Interstate 15 near the Border Patrol checkpoint south of Temecula resulted in a traffic headache for many, Patch has learned.

According to CHP Officer Nathan Baer of the Temecula area office, the collision occurred at approximately 5:30 a.m. Wednesday on southbound I-15 just south of the checkpoint when the first driver in the chain “slowed and stopped for a traffic collision in front of him."

An additional six drivers then “braked but could not stop in time” to avoid hitting the car in front of them, Baer reported.

Two vehicles rolled, with each landing on its roof in freeway lanes. One of those drivers suffered minor neck pain, but that was the only injury reported.

The eighth driver to approach the crash scene, a motorcyclist, lost control of his bike and was partially ejected from it, according to the CHP report.

Three of the vehicles involved in the wreckage were either driven or moved to the side of the roadway, while four other cars were stalled in the number three lane.

The number two, three and four lanes were blocked as a result of the crash.

The roadway was fully reopened by about 7:20 a.m., according to Baer.

All of the drivers reside in either Temecula or Murrieta. Vehicles involved in the crash include a Mercedes, a Harley Davidson, three Toyotas, two Fords and a Nissan.