A pre-dawn wrong-way crash on Interstate 5 near San Diego International Airport left two people dead today, after one vehicle slammed head-on into another and erupted in flames, shutting down the freeway through much of the morning commute. Investigators and cleanup crews kept southbound traffic at a standstill for hours as they worked through the charred wreckage.
The California Highway Patrol said the two-vehicle collision unfolded in the southbound lanes of I-5 near Laurel Street just after 3 AM. CHP Officer Michael Meza told reporters that one vehicle was headed north in the southbound lanes when it struck a southbound car, according to KGTV.
The wrong-way vehicle was identified as a Dodge Durango that smashed into a Honda CR-V just north of Sassafras Street. One of the vehicles caught fire after the impact, and both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene, according to NBC 7 San Diego.
Traffic disruptions
Emergency crews shut down all southbound I-5 lanes in the area and diverted drivers to the Washington Street off-ramp, while the Kettner Boulevard on-ramp was also closed. The backup stretched into the heart of the morning rush before the affected lanes finally reopened around 6:10 to 6:30 AM, according to Caltrans District 11.
Update: SB I-5, north of Sassafras, three right lanes closed. Two left lanes reopened to traffic.
— Caltrans District 11 (@SDCaltrans) May 29, 2026
Why wrong-way crashes are so deadly
Wrong-way crashes are relatively rare compared with everyday fender benders, but they account for a disproportionate share of freeway deaths and tend to spike overnight and in the very early morning hours. Analyses of national crash data highlight connections to driver impairment, poor visibility and the design of on- and off-ramps, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
Investigation ongoing
CHP investigators stayed on scene for several hours and have not yet released the identities of the victims or the formal cause of the collision. NBC 7 San Diego reported that both drivers died at the scene and noted that officials are expected to release more information as the investigation moves forward.
Local prevention efforts
Caltrans and the CHP have been testing wrong-way detection and prevention systems in San Diego’s District 11, part of a broader push to keep drivers from entering freeways in the wrong direction. The agency’s final report on wrong-way collision prevention outlines those pilot projects and calls for measures such as enhanced ramp markings, detection technology and other treatments aimed at reducing deadly wrong-way entries, according to Caltrans.
