Driver Fatigue Cited In Fiery Menifee Crash

MENIFEE, CA — A fiery solo-vehicle crash over the weekend in Menifee may have been the result of driver fatigue, according to police.

The crash involving a small compact vehicle was reported at about 6:07 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 15, near the intersection of Highway 74 and Trumble Avenue. The driver smashed into a traffic light pole, Menifee police said.

The vehicle caught fire, but Riverside County sheriff’s deputies and good Samaritans who were first on the scene pulled the driver from the wreckage before the car became fully engulfed in flames, according to police.

The driver was transported to a medical facility. Police described the victim's injuries as non-life-threatening.

Alcohol or drugs were not crash factors, police said.

Witnesses told officers that just before the crash they saw the vehicle driving at a fast speed.

"It is believed the driver may have fallen asleep, which resulted in the collision," according to the Menifee Police Department.

The agency is continuing to investigate the crash. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact Officer Sims with the Menifee Police Traffic Unit at 951-723-1645 or the traffic unit at 951-723-1500.