CAJON PASS, CA. (Pain In The Pass) » A serious early morning crash on Interstate 15 near the top of the Cajon Pass could have ended in tragedy, but both drivers involved walked away unharmed.
The California Highway Patrol says around 5:29am January 7, 2026, a disabled white Toyota Tacoma pickup truck became disabled in the #3 lane on northbound I-15 freeway about two miles from the Oak Hill Road exit.
Before a CHP units arrived, it was reported that a double tanker cement semi hit the disabled pickup truck at or close to full freeway speeds.
From a witness stated the pickup truck was disabled in the traffic lane, with two semis behind each other. He said, the first semi swerved over in the other traffic lanes and the one behind the other semi had no time to react and collided into the back of the Toyota.
The semi was left disabled in the slow lane, and the pickup truck was forced off the freeway due to the impact. The semi, sustained major front-end damage and the pickup truck sustained major rearend damage.
Lucky no major injuries were reported.
“Every year, disabled vehicles are hit by passing vehicles, often resulting in death,” CHP said.
CHP says disabled vehicles on busy highways can be extremely dangerous, especially at night. They remind drivers:
Never stand or stay inside traffic lanes – Even if your vehicle’s lights are on, other drivers may not see you. traffic
Turn on hazard lights immediately – Know where they are before an emergency.
Move yourself to a safe location away from the roadway and your vehicle.
Call 911 or roadside assistance.
Wait safely until help arrives.
Traffic was impacted in the Cajon Pass, with at least two northbound lanes blocked during emergency response and vehicles removal.
We will update this story with more information when the CHP’s preliminary accident report is available. Additional details were limited at this time. This incident will be under investigation by the California Highway Patrol, Inland Office.