A fiery head-on crash between a big-rig truck and a white SUV killed two people and left the truck driver with minor injuries on Temecula Parkway Thursday afternoon, shutting down all lanes near Horizon View Street for hours. The collision sent flames and heavy smoke into the air as the SUV was destroyed and the roadway was littered with debris.
The crash was first reported at approximately 2:38 p.m. on State Route 79, according to Valley News, though Patch reported the timing slightly differently, placing the initial call around 2:40 p.m. State Route 79 is also known locally as Temecula Parkway. The collision blocked both eastbound and westbound lanes east of Horizon View Street, snarling traffic in the area as crews responded.
Per Patch, the two occupants of the SUV were pronounced dead at the scene, while the truck driver suffered unspecified minor injuries and declined an ambulance. Neither the victims nor the driver have been publicly identified. The outlet reported that the SUV was totaled in the crash and caught fire, consistent with an incident log entry noting that one vehicle had ignited.
Preliminary Dispatch Details Point to Big Rig Carrying Lift Equipment
Preliminary California Highway Patrol dispatch entries described the collision as a head-on crash involving a truck carrying lift equipment and a white SUV. A post on the CHP Fatal Accident Feed logged the incident simply as a “HEAD ON TRAFFIC COLLISION” and specified that the truck was hauling a CAT lift at the time.
Scene photographs showed flames and heavy smoke near a severely damaged vehicle, with debris scattered across the roadway. CHP's Temecula office confirmed that all lanes were closed as investigators worked the fatal crash. A Sig Alert for both lanes was issued at approximately 2:53 p.m., according to the same CHP feed, and the closure remained in effect for hours afterward, with the feed noting all lanes still shut at roughly 6:29 p.m.
Hazmat Cleanup Followed Fuel and Fluid Leak
The big rig leaked oil and other fluids in the crash, triggering a hazardous-materials cleanup, Patch reported. Clearing the wreckage was expected to take several hours given the scope of the fire damage and the spilled fluids.
Investigators had not determined which vehicle crossed into opposing traffic as the California Highway Patrol continued working the scene, per Patch. That detail, along with the identities of those involved, remained unresolved as of Thursday afternoon.
Not the First Serious Crash Along This Corridor
Thursday's crash adds to a string of serious collisions along the Temecula Parkway and nearby Interstate 15 corridor in recent years. In September 2024, a fatal crash on I-15 northbound just north of Temecula Parkway killed one person and led to an arrest, according to Valley News. A separate I-15 wreck near Temecula Parkway forced a 10-hour closure of the northbound lanes, Patch reported. And this past March, a crash on Highway 79 South/Temecula Parkway temporarily stalled traffic east of Temecula and west of Anza Road, injuring one person, per Patch's earlier coverage.
