Man Falls Asleep On 15 Freeway

A crash on the 15 Freeway Wednesday night that caused some spectator slowing has prompted a reminder from the California Highway Patrol.

Sometime around 7 p.m., a 20-year-old man from San Bernardino was headed northbound in the number three lane of the 15 in a 1995 black Dodge Dakota, just south of Temecula, when he fell asleep, according to CHP spokesman Nathan Baer.

The Dakota swerved off the freeway and crashed into a boulder, Baer said.

Apparently, the impact woke the driver. He turned and headed back to the freeway in the Dakota, but crashed through a perimeter fence on the way and stalled in the number four lane of the 15, Baer explained.

On Facebook, one person wrote in to say, "I just saw the strangest thing on the northbound 15."

The man who crashed sustained only minor injuries, and no other vehicles or victims were involved, but Baer said the incident could have been deadly.

“We want to remind drivers that drowsy driving is dangerous and can lead to serious injury or death,” he said.