By Scott Limpus
January 20, 2019
At 1:35 pm on Sunday, emergency crews were dispatched to a head-on traffic collision with possible injuries on 32000 block of State Route 18 (Hilltop Blvd.) near the 76 gas station. The California Highway Patrol (CHP), San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department (SBSO) Citizens on Patrol (COPs), and Running Springs Fire Department (RSFD) arrived on scene to find 3 vehicles with minor to major damage blocking the up-bound lane. All of the occupants were out their vehicles and appeared uninjured.
According to statements made by two of the drivers, a blue Toyota Prius (Vehicle #1) was traveling westbound (down-bound) on SR18, and for an unknown reason, crossed over the double yellow lines and went head-on towards eastbound (up-bound) traffic. The driver of a silver Toyota Tacoma (Vehicle #2), who was in bumper-to-bumper traffic, moved to the right side of the lane as she saw Vehicle #1 driver towards her. Vehicle #1 side-swiped Vehicle #2 and continued westbound in the eastbound lane. Vehicle #3, a black BMW, was not able to get out of the way and was hit head-on by Vehicle #1. Vehicle #1 sustained major front-end damage, Vehicle #2 sustained minor front-end damage, and Vehicle #3 sustained moderate front-end damage.
All three vehicles were filled with families visiting the Big Bear area to play in the snow.
At the time of the accident, the roads were clear with good visibility. Two tow trucks were called to the scene to clear the wreckage, which took almost an hour. Citizens on Patrol provided alternating traffic control until the scene was cleared. The accident and extended lane closure caused huge delays in both directions of SR18, which was already heavy with holiday traffic. All occupants originally declined medical attention, however, an ambulance was called back to the scene a while later and transported two individuals involved in the incident to a local hospital for evaluation. CHP is investigating the cause of the accident.
