Camp Pendleton, CA (June 27, 2024) Those living near the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton were shocked and saddened by an accident that claimed three lives in the middle of the night. The tragic accident occurred on Interstate 5 at approximately 3:00 a.m. on Thursday morning, June 27th. The chain-of-reaction collision involved four motorcycles, a Jeep and a Mercedes van, officers reported, and ended with all southbound lanes of the interstate being closed.
It was 3:00 a.m. as darkness covered California. Interstate 5 was still alive with vehicles traveling near Camp Pendleton. Suddenly, near Las Pulgas Road, a Jeep lost control and slammed into a guardrail on the freeway. As the Jeep sat in the southbound lanes, it was then struck by a Mercedes van. Officer Hunter Gerber with the California Highway Patrol reported that the van then overturned. Four motorcycles were traveling in the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 behind the van when it collided with the Jeep. The motorcyclists had no time to react and ended up crashing into the van. All four were thrown from their motorcycles and landed, hard, on the roadway.
The accident blocked all of the southbound lanes of Interstate 5. The dark skies were lit up by flashing emergency lights and the sirens wails grew louder as emergency personnel arrived at the scene. The scene was mere chaos. The van was on its side, damaged motorcycles were all over the highway, injured riders laid motionless in piles of debris. The Jeep was damaged and a guardrail was ripped and bent. Traffic began to back up all the way to Orange County as officers began redirecting drivers away from southbound Interstate 5
It was a somber scene as paramedics arrived and found three of the four motorcyclists with fatal injuries. Officers covered each one with a tarp and called for a coroner as paramedics assisted others involved. The driver of the van and the fourth motorcyclist both sustained life-threatening injuries in the accident. Paramedics rushed them both to a local hospital to receive treatment.
Detectives are working to determine what caused the Jeep to lose control and hit the guardrail on Interstate 5, causing this chain reaction collision. Tow trucks were called to the scene to remove the damaged vehicles and motorcycles and it took crews hours to clean up all of the debris and glass that was left behind.
Our hearts break for the families of the motorcyclists killed in this horrible collision. We also wish full recoveries to the two people who were seriously injured in this collision.
Have you or a loved one been impacted by this event? Our team specializes in motorcycle accidents and we are here to help. You can reach us 24/7 at (866) 945-4286 or visit our online contact form at Accident News Now.
