Coroner IDs Wrong-Way Driver, 1 Other, Killed On 91 Freeway In Corona

CORONA, CA — A wrong-way driver and a motorist who he hit are both dead following a crash Sunday on the Riverside (91) Freeway in Corona, authorities confirmed Monday.

The fatal wreck happened shortly before 4 a.m. Sunday on the eastbound 91, just east of Interstate 15, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The driver of a 2019 Honda Accord entered the 91 freeway traveling westbound in eastbound lanes at a high rate of speed, according to Officer Javier Navarro.

Multiple drivers called 911 as the Honda sped by them, reporting that the sedan was going roughly 90 mph, according to the CHP.

The wrong-way driver continued traveling in opposing traffic before colliding head-on with a Toyota Corolla just east of the Interstate 15 interchange, Navarro said. The crash in the number 1 and 2 lanes brought the entire eastbound side of the freeway to a stop, though no other vehicles were involved.

Corona Fire Department crews reached the location within a few minutes and found the Toyota driver, 22-year-old Jennifer Cardenas of Riverside, fatally injured.

The wrong-way driver was identified by the coroner as 24-year-old Matthew Pineda of Bloomington.

Pineda's passenger, identified only as a 23-year-old woman, suffered minor injuries in the wreck and was taken to a regional trauma center for treatment.

An autopsy was pending on Pineda. It was not yet known whether alcohol or drugs may have been factors in the collision.

The entire eastbound 91 was shut down at the location for almost three hours, the CHP said.