Crime & Safety

3 Injured in 4-Car Crash Near Vista Murrieta

Three patients were transported with minimal complaints of pain in a four-car crash that occurred just as Vista Murrieta High School was due to start classes for the day.

Three people were taken to area hospitals following a four-car crash near early Tuesday.

The crash happened at about 7:25 a.m. on Whitewood Road, just south of the Clinton Keith Road intersection, according to Murrieta police Officer Jennifer Metoyer, who responded to the crash.

Classes at the nearby high school started at 7:30 a.m.

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"We had four students involved in two different cars," Metoyer said. "Three people were transported with minimal complaints of pain."

A high school student from Murrieta Mesa was among the injured when the car she was driving, a Nissan Maxima, flipped, Metoyer said. The Maxima had been hit by an Acura MDX that was turning right onto Whitewood, she said.

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The Maxima had been heading south on Whitewood and had just gone through a green light, she said. The impact forced the Maxima to flip, hitting two cars—including a white Chevrolet Tahoe carrying three Vista Murrieta students—that were waiting in the northbound left-turn lane on Whitewood, she said.

Metoyer said failure to yield and not observing the 25 mph school zone speed limit were contributing factors in the crash. The speed on Whitewood is 45 mph, but that is reduced when students are present, she said.

The Maxima came to a rest on Whitewood and blocked the number one and two southbound lanes, forcing authorities to close the roadway while the accident was cleared.

Two fire engine crews and two ambulances responded to the crash. There were eight patients, three requiring transport for minor injuries, according to Murrieta Fire Department Spokesperson Matt Corelli. Two of the injured were taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta and one to Inland Valley Regional Medical Center.

The roadway was reopened at about 8:15 a.m., Metoyer said.

"We were fortunate there were minimal injuries," Metoyer said, noting the passenger side of the Maxima sustained most of the damage. Had there been a passenger, they could have been seriously hurt, she said.


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