An early morning crash on Saturday in San Diego left one person dead after their Mini Cooper lost control and caused a fiery wreck, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. The driver was traveling on SR-94 and attempting to transition to I-15 when their vehicle collided with a concrete wall, went airborne, and landed on a Nissan Murano before catching fire.
CHP Officer Michael Meza recounted that the Mini Cooper struck a CalTrans exit sign during the incident, and debris from the Murano hit a Hyundai Accent nearby. Although the two occupants from the Murano suffered minor injuries and were taken to a hospital, the Accent driver was uninjured in the ordeal. The freeway was subsequently closed for several hours, causing significant traffic delays.
Following the crash, all lanes on westbound SR-94, between I-805 and I-15, remained shut until around 2:30 p.m. as officers worked the scene. Traffic in the area faced heavy disruption, with Caltrans San Diego later announcing the reopening of eastbound SR-94 at College Avenue as subsequent collisions compounded traffic issues.
Earlier in the day, Caltrans San Diego reported that eastbound SR-94 at College Ave was down to one lane due to a multi-vehicle traffic collision. The congestion was partially alleviated when three right lanes reopened, though the left lane remained closed as authorities continued their investigations into the crashes, Caltrans San Diego updated.
EB SR-94 at College Ave is reduced to one lane, due to a multi-vehicle traffic collision.
— Caltrans San Diego (@SDCaltrans) December 23, 2023
The California Highway Patrol is awaiting a toxicology report to determine whether drugs or alcohol were contributing factors to the fatal crash.
