A passenger was killed in a wrong-way freeway accident on I-15 in Victorville.
Wrong-way freeway accident: One person was killed and another seriously injured Saturday when a driver on drugs drove the wrong way and crashed into another vehicle at 100 mph on Interstate 15 in Victorville.
• A man on drugs drove a Jeep Cherokee the wrong way on the freeway at about 100 mph and crashed head-on with a Mazda.
• The Mazda was pushed into the center divider. The driver was hospitalized with major injuries.
• A passenger in the wrong-way Jeep died at the scene.
• The wrong-way driver was arrested at the scene and then treated for his injuries.
The head-on car accident occurred on southbound Interstate 15 near Bear Valley Road, shortly after 7:30 a.m., according to an article in the Victorville Daily Press.
California Highway Patrol Officer Mario Lopez said 33-year-old Phelan resident Ernesto Vargas was under the influence of drugs when he drove a white Jeep Cherokee onto the freeway in the wrong direction.
Authorities did not know exactly where Vargas entered the freeway, witnesses reported seeing him as far back as the Highway 395 on-ramp, Lopez said.
“The vehicle was reportedly traveling at approximately 100 mph,” Lopez said.
Vargas drove at that high speed for least six miles in the wrong direction before he crashed head-on into a black Mazda driven by a man from Fort Irwin. The impact sent both vehicles into a spin and pushed the Mazda onto the center median rail.
The driver of the Mazda, whose identity was not released by the CHP, suffered moderate to major injuries and was hospitalized at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. CHP officials said his injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.
A passenger in the Cherokee, Kellie Sue Hughes, died at the scene.
Vargas was trapped in his vehicle. He fought with rescuers who were trying to pull him from his wrecked vehicle. He had to be subdued with a Taser. The CHP arrested him at the scene and then he was transported to Desert Valley Hospital to be treated for injuries he sustained in the accident, including a broken leg.
Officials closed the southbound side of the freeway for about two hours while the CHP conducted a preliminary investigation.
Court records show that Vargas was previously convicted in San Bernardino County of drug possession, assault with a deadly weapon, and disturbing the peace.
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