UPDATE: CHP Car Crashes On 15 Freeway In Lake Elsinore

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ORIGINAL POST: Rush hour traffic was halted on the southbound 15 Freeway in Lake Elsinore and a SigAlert issued today due to a hit-and-run crash involving a CHP vehicle.

According to CHP Officer Ernie Sanchez, who arrived on scene after the crash, at least three witnesses say the CHP officer was traveling southbound on the freeway around 5 p.m. when his patrol car was cut off by a pickup truck.

In order to avoid a crash, preliminary investigation shows the officer slammed on his brakes, lost control and hit the guard rail just north of the Railroad Canyon Road/Diamond Drive exit, Sanchez said.

The truck's driver never stopped, so CHP is calling today's incident a "non contact" hit-and-run.

Sanchez said the driver is being sought.

It's unclear if any witnesses were able to obtain a license plate number on the truck.

The officer sustained injuries during the solo-vehicle crash, including trauma to his right side and possible whiplash, but he is expected to be ok, Sanchez said. No other motorists were injured.

The officer, whose identity has not been released by CHP, was transported via ground ambulance to a nearby hospital.

Traffic has been backed up for miles. A second crash on the southbound 15 Freeway, just north of the CHP wreckage, was also reported moments after the first mishap.