The driver who caused a five-vehicle wreck that killed a 70-year-old woman on Interstate 15 in Murrieta was going about 80 mph when he plowed into an SUV stopped for merging traffic, authorities said Monday.
Linda Hernandez of Carson was fatally injured in the pile-up in the predawn hours Saturday on northbound Interstate 15, just south of Clinton Keith Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Officer Russ Robertson said the victim was in the rear passenger seat of a 2002 compact Toyota SUV that was queued up with other vehicles, barely moving on the freeway as lanes were narrowed from five to two due to road construction.
At 12:55 a.m., the driver of a 2022 Honda sedan approached the merging traffic at 80 mph in the fast lane and failed to slow as the vehicles ahead of him came to a stop, Robertson said.
The suspect, whose name was not released, plowed into the vehicle carrying Hernandez, setting off a chain reaction crash involving three other vehicles, Robertson alleged.
“It was a pretty bad collision,” Robertson said.
Riverside County Fire Department and Murrieta Fire & Rescue personnel reached the location minutes later and pronounced Hernandez dead at the scene.
Robertson said that people, including the suspect, suffered moderate to major injuries. They were taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar, less than a mile away, for treatment. Their conditions were not known Monday.
Investigators believe the suspect was likely driving under the influence. However, his custody status was unknown Monday, possibly because he remained hospitalized.