One person was killed and five others injured in a fiery crash that occurred when the driver of a pickup truck apparently blasted through a signal at a 91 Freeway off-ramp in Riverside Saturday.
One witness told CHP officers the pickup veered from the freeway's HOV lane, across the freeway's general use lanes and into the off-ramp, and did not appear to slow down for cross traffic in the intersection at Central Avenue.
The pickup truck crashed into a westward sedan, flipped onto its side and burst into flames just before 8:30 a.m. Its driver attempted to flee the scene on foot but was apprehended by two witnesses until officers arrived, Riverside police said.
Initial CHP reports suggest that the pickup truck may have been stolen and was being pursued by police at some point before the crash.
A passenger in the truck was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Riverside Fire Department. Another passenger in the pickup truck and its driver were both injured and hospitalized.
Three people inside the sedan, which sustained major front-end damage, had minor injuries and were also hospitalized.
The pickup truck's driver was expected to be booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center once he is medically cleared, police said.
