A driver was killed Tuesday in a fiery multi-vehicle wreck on the Pomona (60) Freeway in Riverside.
The crash was reported just after 5 a.m. on the eastbound 60, just west of Market Street, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Juan Quintero, who said a Ford Ranger slammed into the freeway center divider and overturned, ejecting the driver onto the freeway.
Within seconds, a Ford F-150 struck the Ranger, triggering a fire in the F-150, according to Quintero.
“That collision pushed the Ford Ranger into the No. 3 eastbound lane, where it was struck by a semi truck,” he said. “Moments later, a Honda Civic collided with the F-150, and it also caught on fire.”
The Ford Ranger driver, whose identity was not immediately released, was taken to Riverside Community Hospital with catastrophic injuries and died a short time later, according to Quintero.
“It is suspected the driver was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the collision,” the CHP spokesman said.
He said the other motorists were assessed by Riverside Fire Department paramedics, and none required hospitalization.
Firefighters knocked down each of the fires that erupted in the vehicles, which were extensively damaged and had to be towed from the location. The tractor-trailer remained drivable, Quintero said.
The eastbound 60 was not shut down, though several lanes were closed while a preliminary investigation was conducted and crews cleared the wreckage.