Last Saturday, a chain-reaction crash on eastbound Interstate 8 near Fletcher Parkway in La Mesa killed a 28-year-old El Cajon man and brought traffic to a standstill for hours. The wreck involved a Ford Ranger pickup, a Toyota C-HR and a tractor-trailer, with crews forced to cut into the mangled Ford to free at least one occupant. Investigators say the pickup first hit the back of the big rig before the Toyota slammed into both vehicles.
According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, California Highway Patrol investigators said the Ford rear-ended a Volvo T680 at about 45 mph, and the Toyota then struck both vehicles at roughly 70 mph. The CHP told the paper the Ford's driver, a 28-year-old El Cajon resident, was rushed to a hospital where he died, while the semi driver escaped injury. The Union-Tribune also reports the Toyota's occupants, a 64-year-old man and a 61-year-old woman, were taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital with minor injuries as investigators work to reconstruct how the crash unfolded.
Scene and first-responder accounts
Early radio traffic and eyewitness accounts suggested the semi may have been disabled in the right lane before the first impact, and a tow operator who arrived soon after said the vehicles had no lights when the second collision occurred. San Diego Slackers reported that Heartland Fire and San Diego Fire-Rescue crews upgraded the call to a rescue for extrication and found heavy oil contamination spread across the eastbound lanes. Multiple lanes were shut down while Caltrans and tow operators worked to clean up the mess and haul away the wreckage.
Investigators, caution and context
Investigators say they have not yet determined whether drugs or alcohol played any role, and CHP collision teams are still working to sort out the sequence of high-speed impacts. This stretch of I-8 has seen several serious crashes over the past year, including an October 2025 wreck that killed a La Mesa officer, previously covered by Hoodline. Authorities are asking anyone who witnessed the crash or has additional information to contact the California Highway Patrol as the investigation continues.
