KTLA

Wrong-Way Driver Killed in Head-On Crash in Rancho Cucamonga May Have Been Suicidal: Report

Lanes on the 15 Freeway in Rancho Cucamonga were closed for several hours on Oct. 22, 2014 due to a wrong-way fatal crash. (Credit: Google Maps)

A motorist who died in a head-on crash while driving the wrong way on the northbound 15 Freeway in Rancho Cucamonga early Wednesday may have been suicidal, officials said.

The crash occurred shortly after 5:18 a.m., when the driver entered the freeway south of Baseline Road heading in the wrong direction, said California Highway Patrol Officer Marcelo Llerena.

The Toyota Prius crashed head-on with a semi-truck, which then caught fire. The wrong-way driver, who has not been identified, was killed. The status of the truck driver could not immediately be confirmed.

The fiery crash forced the closure of three lanes of the northbound 15 Freeway. Based on witness accounts, it was being investigated as a possible suicide, Llerena said.