Freeways, Roadways Stall With Crashes Amid RivCo Flooding, Rain

January 23, 2024

BEAUMONT, CA — Spinouts, rollovers, and flooded lanes were the story of the morning amid Monday morning’s torrential rain storm in Riverside County.

Emergency responders headed to an injury crash blocking at least one lane of State Route 79 at County Landfill Road on Beaumont Avenue. At least one car spun out and was facing the wrong direction of traffic, according to CHP dispatchers.

Shortly before 11:15 a.m., a white Toyota Camry faced the wrong way for unknown reasons. “Passers-by had exited their cars to direct traffic,” CHP officers said, and tow trucks were on the way.

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No other information about that collision was immediately available.

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Another SIG Alert near I-15 at the eastbound 60 connector showed lanes were blocked for an unknown duration of time.

At 11:30 a.m., the California Highway Patrol reported that metal debris from an earlier crash, still on the road, had led to flat tires on at least two vehicles, including a black Porsche. Metal debris is reported in the fast lane and the HOV lane in that area.

Earlier in the day, a Sig Alert was reported at the Banning Scales at I-10 just after 9:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. when the road was cleared. That crash involved a patrol vehicle, California Highway Patrol reported. The extent of any injuries was not reported.

During that incident, three lanes of eastbound I-1o were closed for just over an hour as tow trucks were called to the scene. The roadway was reopened by 11 a.m.

With all of the crashes reported, one person was killed in a single-car rollover incident on I-15 northbound after a single-vehicle rollover near Nichols Road. One lane of traffic was closed for several hours during the subsequent investigation.

Drivers were reminded to watch for wet and flooded roads even after the storm passed.