FATAL CRASH: One Lane Reopens On Railroad Canyon Road

The crash victim has been identified.

UPDATED Aug. 17 at 4 p.m.: One lane of traffic on westbound Railroad Canyon Road in Lake Elsinore has reopened as of 4 p.m. Friday, but the rest of the street is expected to remain closed until later today due to a fatal crash that killed one.

"Investigators are wrapping it up," said Dep. Albert Martinez of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

A daylong full closure of the westbound road has been in effect due the fatal crash that was reported to Cal Fire at 10:18 a.m. Friday on Railroad Canyon Road, east of Grape Street, between Church and Canyon Hills roads.

The crash was a solo-vehicle rollover. The vehicle went down the embankment on the north side of Railroad Canyon Road.

"The driver of a 2006 grey Buick was traveling west on Railroad Canyon Road, lost control of the vehicle onto the soft dirt shoulder, close to a 30-foot drop," said Sgt. Peter Giannakakos of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. "The driver’s efforts to correct the vehicle back onto the road were unsuccessful."

The car plummeted about 30 feet down a steep slope, coming to rest in a wooded ravine, Giannakakos explained. The driver, whose name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, was pronounced dead at the scene.

No other injuries have been reported due to the crash.

Sgt. David Cardoza of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department was working the crash scene today and said the wreckage has been very difficult to access.

"It's hard to even see the vehicle," he said, noting that no first responders have been injured.

Traffic throughout Canyon Lake and eastern Lake Elsinore has been heavily congested throughout the day. The affected schools include: Temescal Canyon High School, Canyon Lake Middle School, Tuscany Hills Elementary and Cottonwood Canyon Elementary. These schools serve students who live in Canyon Lake, Canyon Estates, Tuscany Hills, and surrounding areas.

More details to follow.