Two people are dead after one of them tried to pass an 18-wheeler but instead hit another driver head-on in Rialto early Thursday morning.
The crash in the 3500 block of North Riverside Avenue occurred just before 3 a.m., the Rialto Police Department announced in a press release.
Officers found two vehicles at the scene, with both drivers suffering from life-threatening injuries.
San Bernardino resident Melissa Jacqueline Castillo, 22, was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:10 a.m., while Palmdale resident Crystaline Joy Barile Bendo, 31, succumbed to her injuries at 4:16 a.m. at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center.
The preliminary investigation showed Castillo was speeding southbound on Riverside Avenue near Ashford Avenue when she tried to pass a tractor-trailer by crossing the double yellow lines in the center of the road, police said.
When Castillo crossed into oncoming traffic, her vehicle collided head-on with Bendo’s vehicle, which was headed north on Riverside, police added.
Anyone with information — especially the driver of the tractor-trailer — is asked to call Sgt. Dan Smith at 909-644-6025.
To report information anonymously, call WeTip at 800-782-7463 and reference case #932211978.
