A fiery eight-vehicle collision on the westbound 10 Freeway near the 15 Freeway interchange in Ontario on Tuesday left three people dead and four injured,authorities said. Jashanpreet Singh, 21, has been arrested and accused of causing the crash.
According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department inmate log, Singh was booked on felony charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence of drugs causing injury.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) reports the crash occurred around 1:10 p.m. when a big-rig driver failed to slow for slowing traffic, initiating a chain-reaction pileup. Dashboard camera footage obtained by ABC7 shows the truck colliding with a car in front of it and continuing through multiple vehicles before hitting another truck,resulting in one passenger car catching fire.
Among the victims identified were Clarence and Lisa Nelson, a former assistant basketball coach at Pomona High School and his wife, according to KTLA. Pomona High School posted a tribute to the couple on Facebook.
Three people were pronounced dead at the scene, and four were hospitalized. By Wednesday night, all but one of those hospitalized – including Singh – had been released, stated CHP spokesperson Rodrigo Jimenez. Singh is being held without bail and is scheduled for an initial hearing Thursday.
The crash involved four semitrucks and four passenger cars, causing a significant closure of the freeway and impacting rush-hour traffic. CHP Officer Joe Garcia confirmed the details of the incident.
