On Monday, August 1, 2022, at approximately 6:28 p.m., the Rialto Police Department Communications Center received numerous 9-1-1 calls regarding a vehicle collision with multiple vehicles involved. Officers arrived minutes later and discovered two vehicles engulfed in flames with several other vehicles damaged. A female driver and female child were trapped inside the Kia Sorento while the vehicle was on fire. Officers attempted to remove both occupants from the Kia Sorento while additional officers and bystanders tried to extinguish the flames, but they were unsuccessful. The Rialto Fire Department arrived, extinguished the flames and provided medical aid to the other occupants involved in the collision.
Multiple witnesses reported the driver of a black Jeep Cherokee was traveling east on Valley Blvd. at a high rate of speed when he sideswiped a Chevrolet Silverado near the intersection of Willow Ave. Witnesses reported that after the collision, the Jeep continued east on Valley Blvd., traveling at a high rate of speed and swerving on the roadway. As the Jeep traveled east on Valley Blvd. it collided with the back of a Kia Sorento that was stopped at the red light at the intersection of Valley Blvd. and Riverside Ave. Due to the excessive speed of the Jeep, the momentum carried the Kia into the back of a Honda and four additional vehicles were subsequently involved in the collision. The Kia caught fire along with the Honda it collided into.
The driver of the Jeep Cherokee and two occupants of the Kia Sorento were pronounced deceased at the scene. Two additional drivers were transported to local hospitals and are believed to have non-life-threatening injuries. The names of the deceased are being withheld pending next of kin notifications.
The Rialto Police Department Major Accident Investigation Team responded to the scene and is currently conducting the investigation. Anyone who may have information about this incident can contact Traffic Sergeant Dan Smith at (909) 644-6025. Witnesses can also anonymously report information through WeTip at (800) 782-7463, reference case #932208834.