Two dead, seven children injured following rollover accident
UPDATE
Two people died and seven children were injured following a rollover accident that led to the closure of Interstate 8 Friday morning.
According to the California Highway Patrol, a 42-year-old man was driving a 1999 Ford that was hauling a heavily loaded trailer on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 8 at 10:30 a.m. The passengers accompanying the driver were a 31-year-old woman and seven children from ages one to 12.
According to CHP, the driver allowed the Ford to move off the roadway onto the dirt shoulder just west of Dunaway Road. After an attempt to get the Ford and the trailer back on the roadway, the vehicle and load overturned moving into and across the left lane of traffic.
The Ford overturned an unknown number of times before stopping in the center median.
None of the passengers of the Ford were properly restrained and were ejected from the vehicle, authorities said. Two car seats were found inside of the vehicle but the children were not restrained properly.
The driver and the woman succumbed to their injuries before CHP arrived to the scene.
Three of the minor occupants were transported to El Centro Regional Center, one minor to Riverside University Hospital, one to Loma Linda and two to Rady’s Children’s Hospital in San Diego to assess their injuries.
The accident remains under investigation.
ORIGINAL STORY
The California Highway Patrol confirmed a fatal collision lead that Interstate 8 is now open following a crash on Friday.
The crash closed Interstate 8 West of Dunaway Road. Interstate 8 was closed for about one hour to treat and fly out patients.
The crash involved a vehicle/trailer combination that had overturned.
CHP will release more details as the story develops.
