NEWBERRY SPRING, CA. (Pain In The Pass) >> Driver killed in fiery solo-vehicle crash along Interstate 40 Monday night.
California Highway Patrol, San Bernardino County Fire, and EMS personnel responded to the scene on the eastbound lanes of I-40 freeway near Hector Road about 10:54pm Friday, August 11, 2025 according to the CHP news release. First responders found a vehicle on fire in right shoulder of the freeway and learned that the sole occupant was still inside.
The driver, who was initially described only as a male, was at the wheel of a 2005 Toyota Solara mid-size 2 door car heading west on I-40 when the car veered to the left and across the dirt center median, officials said.
“The Toyota continued, across the eastbound lanes of I-40, before leaving the roadway and entering the open desert south of the freeway,” according to a CHP statement. “Upon entering the open desert, the Toyota drove through a wire perimeter fence, collided with a raised dirt embankment and caught fire.”
They extinguished the flames and began providing medical aid. The unidentified male driver was pronounced deceased due to injuries sustained during the crash and/or subsequent fire,” the statement said.
Due to the condition of the body, the victim would have to be identified via DNA, CHP Officer Shane Hernandez said.
The cause and circumstances of the crash remained under investigation.
Any witnesses, or anyone with information, was asked to contact Officer A. Lee of the CHP’s Barstow Area Office at (760) 255-5900.
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