Deadly Ramona Expressway Crash: Motorist Runs Red Light, CHP Says

PERRIS, CA — A 55-year-old woman was killed when a man at the wheel of an SUV went through a red light in Perris and slammed into her car, authorities said Thursday. The fatality happened about 8:20 a.m. Wednesday at Evans Road and the Ramona Expressway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Officer Juan Quintero said Patricia Workman of Moreno Valley was going north on Evans in her Toyota Camry, on a green light, when the driver of a Nissan Xterra approached from the west on the Expressway.

Quintero said the SUV driver failed to stop for the red traffic signal and was traveling in excess of the speed limit when the SUV slammed into the driver's side of the Toyota.

"The force of the collision propelled both vehicles into the westbound lanes of Ramona Expressway, where a 2014 Chevrolet van was struck by both vehicles," the officer said.

He said Workman was pronounced dead at the scene by Riverside County Fire Department paramedics.

The 29-year-old SUV driver, who suffered serious injuries, was stopped by sheriff's deputies a short distance away, according to Quintero. The man, whose name was withheld, was taken to Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley.

The van driver was treated for minor injuries, and his passenger escaped injury, Quintero said.

Investigators may seek a vehicular manslaughter charge against the Nissan driver, according to the patrolman.

— By City News Service