Five injured in multiple vehicle rear-end collision on Interstate 8

Five people were injured Tuesday morning in a rear-end collision involving five vehicles that happened in the westbound lanes of Interstate 8 near the Winterhaven Drive off-ramp.

According to Officer J. Fontes, of the California Highway Patrol, the accident happened at about 8:46 a.m. when a 2006 Toyota being driven by an 18-year-old male was unable to brake in time as the traffic ahead of him began to slow.

As a result, the 2006 Toyota rear-ended a 2012 Ford sedan being driven by a 71-year-old male driver. Due to the force of the impact, the Ford sedan then struck the rear of a 2003 Honda that was in front of it and was being operated by a 78-year-old male driver.

“(The driver of the Toyota) was driving at a speed greater than prudent for the traffic conditions,” Fontes wrote in the collision report.

The 2003 Honda then struck a 2013 Ford sedan being operated by a 40-year-old female driver that was in front of it. The force of that impact caused the 2013 Ford to strike the rear of a 2011 GMC pickup truck that was ahead of it and being driven by a 56-year-old female driver.

In all. 17 people were involved in the accident, with five eventually being transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center. The 2013 GMC pickup and the 2006 Toyota sedan both had four passengers, the 2013 Ford sedan had three passengers and the 2003 Honda and the 2012 Ford each had one passenger.

Fontes said all the drivers and their passengers were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the accident. He added that the investigation into the accident is still ongoing so no citation will be issued until after it has been completed.

James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854. Find him on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/YSJamesGilbert or on Twitter @YSJamesGilbert.