One Person Is Killed and Two Others Are Critically Injured After a Vehicle Goes Down an Embankment Off I-15 Near Kenwood Avenue in Cajon Pass

CAJON PASS, CA — One person was killed and two others were critically injured Wednesday afternoon after a vehicle left southbound Interstate 15 near Kenwood Avenue in the Cajon Pass and landed down a steep embankment. The crash happened at about 1:53 p.m. on July 15, 2026, and prompted a multi-agency rescue in difficult terrain.

California Highway Patrol logs say a caller reported seeing a dust cloud before spotting the vehicle leave the roadway. Responders later found an overturned 2017 Hyundai Veloster about 80 feet below the freeway, with smoke coming from the wreckage.

Rescue Teams Reach Wreckage

San Bernardino County Fire said firefighters worked with CAL FIRE San Bernardino Unit and the San Bernardino National Forest to get to the crash scene. Because of the steep hillside and the vehicle’s position, crews upgraded the response to a technical rescue.

Firefighters, paramedics and other agencies had to traverse the embankment to reach the three adults inside the car and begin treatment.

Three Adults Were Inside

Two people in the vehicle suffered critical injuries, and a third occupant was pronounced dead at the scene. Emergency radio traffic indicated the driver was among the two surviving occupants who were transported from the crash site.

Officials have not released the names of the people involved or the condition of the injured survivors.

Airlift And Ambulance Transport

One critically injured patient was hoisted from the embankment by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Aviation Division and transferred to an ambulance for transport to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. The second critically injured patient was placed in a Stokes basket by the county fire department’s Urban Search and Rescue team and brought up to another ambulance for the trip to the same hospital.

Fire officials said the coordinated response allowed crews to reach the patients quickly despite hazardous terrain and triple-digit temperatures.

Crash Cause Still Open

CHP requested a heavy-duty tow truck to recover the wreckage because the car was off the freeway. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

The identity of the person who died is being withheld until next of kin are notified. Officials said the story remains developing and may be updated as more information becomes available.

TNSO covers California, Nevada, and Arizona as the story unfolds.