Crash Injures 5-Year-Old When Mother Fails to Yield

A 5-year-old girl was injured in a three-car crash in Murrieta Tuesday evening when her mother failed to yield at a green light, officers said.

The collision occurred at 9:15 p.m. when the mother, who was not named, attempted to make a left turn in her Ford Focus onto Milkwood from Hancock on a green light, officers on the scene said. The light did not have a turn arrow, so the driver should have yielded, according to Murrieta Police Officer Travis Shows.

Because the light was green, a black 2005 Toyota Tacoma traveling in the opposite direction tried to stop, but hit the blue Ford Focus on the right passenger side. Subsequently, a tan Toyota 4Runner rearended the Tacoma, Shows said.

No others were injured in the accident. The child, who was seated in a booster seat in the car, was taken by paramedics to a local hospital after complaining of neck pain, Shows said.

Kimberly Estrada lives around the corner from where the accident occurred and said her father was driving the Tacoma. Her brother was also in the truck. They called her after the accident occurred.

"He was just coming from my house," Estrada said.

A small crowd gathered at the intersection, and traffic was being redirected. A motorcyclist was slightly hit by a car as a result of the backed-up traffic. The motorcyle fell to the ground, but the driver appeared uninjured and proceeded to leave the scene.

There were no crimes involved in the accident. The driver may have been distracted in some way, Shows said.