A devastating crash on California’s 91 Freeway in Riverside left three people dead and another person hospitalized after a suspected wrong-way driver collided with multiple vehicles early Thursday morning, November 12, 2026.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the collision happened shortly after 2 a.m. on the westbound 91 Freeway near 14th Street.
Investigators said a silver Kia Sportage was travelling eastbound in the westbound lanes when it collided with other vehicles. The crash involved a black BMW, a white big rig and a Volkswagen Jetta, according to initial reports.
Emergency responders arrived to find a man and a woman unresponsive inside the Kia. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. A woman travelling in the Volkswagen Jetta also died from injuries sustained in the collision.
A fourth person was transported to a hospital for medical treatment. The person’s condition was not immediately available, while the truck driver reportedly survived the crash.
Witnesses described hearing a loud impact during the early morning hours. Investigators are working to establish why the Kia was travelling against the direction of traffic and what circumstances led to the deadly collision.
The crash triggered a major traffic disruption as authorities closed the westbound freeway near 14th Street. The closure affected commuters travelling through Riverside toward Corona and Orange County.
At one point, only the carpool lane remained available while emergency crews and investigators worked at the scene. The affected westbound lanes reopened around 8:30 a.m.
The identities of the three people killed had not initially been released. The California Highway Patrol continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the collision.
The tragedy serves as another reminder of the devastating consequences of wrong-way driving on busy California highways.