1 dead, 4 injured after multi-car crash on 15 Freeway in Lake Elsinore

One person was killed and four others were injured in a crash involving at least five vehicles on the 15 Freeway in Lake Elsinore on Tuesday afternoon, according to the California Highway Patrol. 

It happened at around 3:55 p.m. on the northbound lanes of the freeway north of Main Street, according to a news release from CHP's Temecula Office, which is investigating the collision. 

They say that the 32-year-old Perris man driving a 2016 Toyota Tacoma collided with the back of a 2023 Kia Niro being driven by a 37-year-old San Diego woman, triggering a chain-reaction crash that left wreckage across all lanes of the freeway. 

After the initial collision, police said that the Kia then veered into another lane, where it was struck by a 2022 Dodge Ram 5500 pulling a trailer that was being driven by a 50-year-old Los Angeles man. The truck then veered into a lane to the right and collided with the backend of a 2021 Toyota Highlander being driven by a 69-year-old man from Lake Elsinore. After crashing into the Toyota, the Dodge then continued driving, where it eventually struck the rear of a 38-year-old Murrieta woman's Honda Accord. 

CHP officers said that the San Diego woman, who hasn't yet been publicly identified, was killed in the crash. The drivers of the Toyota Tacoma and Toyota Highlander were both hospitalized with minor injuries, while the two other drivers were treated at the scene by Riverside County Fire Department paramedics.

A SigAlert was issued for all northbound lanes at around 4:05 p.m. and was expected to last until at least 7 p.m., officers said.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation and anyone with more information was asked to contact CHP's Temecula Office.