7 People Injured In Ramona Expressway Pileup

HEMET, CA — Seven people were injured Wednesday, two seriously, in a four-vehicle crash just east of Hemet, where firefighters had to extricate several victims from the wreckage.

The multi-vehicle collision was reported at 1:50 p.m. on the Ramona Expressway, near Lincoln Avenue, roughly a mile south of the Soboba Indian Reservation, according to the California Highway Patrol.

It was unclear what caused the crash.

Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department crews reached the location within a few minutes and found two parties in separate cars requiring extrication.

Shortly after 2 p.m., crews succeeding in removing them. Both suffered major injuries, and one was airlifted to a hospital. The other was taken by ambulance to a regional trauma center, along with the remaining five patients, who suffered moderate injuries, according to the fire department.

The parties were not identified.
Ramona was partially closed for several hours because of the crash, which was under investigation.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was updated to reflect an increased number of victims.