Fleeing Driver Crashes, is Killed in CHP Chase

SAN BERNARDINO – A crash ended a 50-mile, high speed pursuit of a driver who led California Highway Patrol officers through Southern California freeways on Wednesday.

The crash occurred near the Highway 330 and Interstate 210 interchange when an unidentified male driver lost control and crashed into a concrete overpass support column. The driver, spotted by CHP patrol units, entered a fully closed freeway that Caltrans had shut down during the early morning hours. CHP official Jaci Parent said the driver had maneuvered around Caltrans vehicles.

The chase ended in a fiery crash at the transition from I-210 to Hwy 330

When the officers began their pursuit, the driver sped away, which led them from the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles County and into San Bernardino County. The chase reached speeds over 100 miles per hour.

“He hit the transition road pillar,” said Parent, noting the car, which had not been reported as stolen, exploded upon impact. The county coroner reported that the driver died at 4:29 a.m.

The chase began just before 4 a.m. when the driver in a blue Chevy Corvette turned onto the closed 210 freeway on the eastbound ramp at Baldwin Ave. Another motorist may have been struck by the fleeing car, which may have contributed to the fatal collision, said investigators.

CHP closed the eastbound 210 and the transition road from Highway 330 for more than six hours, which contributed to traffic congestion during morning commute hours.

The Corvette was registered to a Highland resident, said CHP officials, but the name of the driver will not be disclosed, said the San Bernardino County Coroner’s office, pending notification of next of kin and completion of the accident.

Read More:

Daily Bulletin: Fleeing motorist loses life in fiery Highland crash

Press Enterprise: Details emerge in fatal, fiery I-210 crash