Five killed in I-15 accident near Barstow

Friday, Feb. 20, 1998 | 9:44 a.m.

Some people remained trapped underneath the shattered motorhome more than an hour after the 2:30 p.m. accident, said Officer Willie Hailey of the California Highway Patrol in Barstow. Dead bodies were covered in blankets around the wreckage.

A 37-year-old man was in serious condition at San Bernardino County Medical Center with leg fractures. A woman, age unknown, was in critical condition with fractured ribs, internal injuries and possible head injuries, said nursing supervisor Joy Flint.

A 57-year-old man was in satisfactory condition, Flint said.

The whereabouts of a fourth injured passenger was unclear.

A male passenger who was not seriously injured identified his friends aboard the motorhome but said he didn't know what caused the accident because he was laying down in the back at the time, said CHP Officer Paul Schroeder.

The cruise docked in Los Angeles on Friday morning, the passenger said. Details of the trip were not available, and the victims' hometowns were not immediately released.

A witness - the driver of the vehicle behind the motorhome - told authorities the driver appeared to be falling asleep, Hailey said.

The northbound motorhome veered onto a dirt berm between the northbound and southbound lanes of the main roadway between Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

"It was not an outrageous number (of people inside) for a motorhome," Hailey said.

Covered bodies scattered around the mangled wreckage as rescuers treated the injured in the desert area 120 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

"The chassis was parted down the middle," Hailey said.

Victims were transported by two U.S. Army medical helicopters to area hospitals.

Northbound lanes of the freeway were closed and traffic was backed up for four miles over a detour. One southbound lane remained open. Shortly after the accident, a Honda that had slowed down was rear-ended by a minivan carrying an 18-year-old woman and a 15-year-old girl. They were taken to the San Bernardino hospital with broken bones, Flint said.

The cause of the motorhome accident remained under investigation.