An investigation was continuing Friday into a wrong-way crash on the Riverside (91) Freeway that killed three people.
The crash occurred around 2 a.m. Thursday on the westbound 91 near 14th street in downtown Riverside, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Officer Javier Navarro said a still-unidentified man allegedly drove his Kia Sportage onto the 91, possibly entering at Madison Street, intending to go eastbound, but ending up in the No. 2 lane on the westbound side of the freeway, facing oncoming traffic.
Multiple drivers reported the wrong-way driver, and CHP officers began searching for the Kia moments later, Navarro said.
He said roughly eight minutes after the initial 911 calls, the compact SUV “crashed head-on with a Volkswagen Jetta.”
“The impact caused the VW to overturn, and while it was still in motion, a semi truck struck the car,” Navarro said.
All lanes were blocked by the collisions.
Officers and Riverside Fire Department paramedics reached the location within a few minutes, at which point the Kia driver and his female passenger, a woman also not immediately identified, as well as the unidentified woman in the VW, were all pronounced dead at the scene.
The trucker was not injured, Navarro said.
Video taken in the aftermath showed the mangled SUV in the middle of the freeway and the nearly unrecognizable VW pushed into a K-rail along the shoulder.
Navarro said the big rig sustained significant damage and required a heavy-duty tow for removal.
The wreckage was cleared by mid-morning, and officers opened westbound lanes.
Autopsies were pending on the victims and the suspected wrong-way driver.
Anyone with information was asked to contact the Riverside CHP office at 951-324-7210.