California Highway Patrol officers Monday were continuing their investigation into a deadly crash involving a 66-year-old motorist whose pickup truck slammed into the rear of a tractor-trailer on Interstate 215 in Riverside.
Phillip Macias of Pomona was fatally injured just after 5 a.m. Friday on southbound I-215, just north of Central Avenue, according to the CHP.
Officer Javier Navarro said Friday that Macias was traveling at an unconfirmed speed in the slow lane when his 2010 Ford Ranger approached a slower moving Freightliner big rig.
“For reasons still under investigation, the driver of the Ford rear-ended the truck,” Navarro said.
Riverside Fire Department crews reached the location minutes later and pronounced Macias dead at the scene. The big rig operator was not hurt.
The location of the collision is a notorious choke point on the east end of Riverside, where traffic is often stop and go.
The CHP asked anyone with information relevant to the investigation to contact the agency’s Riverside office at 951-324-7210.