Sigalert issued for I-15 as rollover crash in Temecula snarls traffic

Update: Officials estimate that clean up will last until at least 10 p.m. Traffic continues to be backed up.

Debris at the scene of the crash on I-15 on April 8. (Daniel Lane/SWRNN)

Yucaipa Towing, Inc. owner George Acosta said, “Unfortunately, because the trailer was so big and there was so much different debris that was scattered all over the freeway here, we had to bring out a loader to make the debris smaller.”

Acosta said that a dump truck is being summoned to the scene to load all the debris and remove it from the scene.

Original: Holiday travelers are coping with a miles-long traffic jam after a three-vehicle crash on the I-15 today.

Crash on northbound I-15 on Sunday, April 8. (Daniel Lane/SWRNN)

California Highway Patrol Officer Harvey Ray said the collision occurred as a result of one vehicle swerving into the number two lane and hitting a car. The car then slammed into a truck pulling a trailer, causing the trailer to overturn.

The incident occurred on the northbound I-15 just north of Old Town Temecula at approximately 5:20 p.m. on Sunday.

Ray described the trailer as a “toy hauler.”

“It only had a couple of gallons of gas in it, which is good. So, we don’t need Hazmat here. And fortunately, (the owner) had just emptied the sewage tank, so all we have here is clear water,” Ray said.

Minor injuries were reported. Two children that were passengers in one of the vehicles were unharmed.

A Sigalert has been issued for the next two hours for both the north and southbound lanes of traffic on the I-15 as responders work to right the truck and trailer.

Check back with SWRNN for more information.