Murrieta woman gets out of car after 15 Freeway crash, is fatally struck

A 23-year-old Murrieta woman was killed early Friday when she was run over after her car crashed on the 15 Freeway near the San Diego County line, the California Highway Patrol said.

The crash resulted in an hourslong traffic jam.

Ariel Bridgeman was driving her 2021 Honda Accord north on the 15 Freeway around 4:45 a.m. when her car veered off of the shoulder, crashed through a chain-link fence and struck an embankment, the CHP said.

The car ricocheted back onto the freeway, coming to rest facing the wrong way in the middle two lanes of the four-lane freeway.

Bridgeman got out of her car and stood in the No. 2 lane.

An oncoming 2017 Honda Civic, driven by a 38-year-old Oceanside resident at 70-75 mph, braked but couldn’t avoid Bridgeman, according to the CHP.

She was pronounced dead at the scene. The other driver suffered minor injuries and was hospitalized.

Officer Mike Lassig, a CHP spokesman, said people involved in freeway crashes have to assess the situation and take appropriate action.

“In some circumstances, it’s best to stay in your vehicle wearing your seat belt,” Lassig wrote in an email. “If one might think it would be a bad idea to remain in the vehicle, it would have to be timed to observe oncoming traffic and have the ability to exit the vehicle safely and run toward cover, such as on the other side of a guardrail, or a concrete K-rail.”

Standing or walking in traffic lanes should be avoided at all costs, Lassig added.

“Remember to activate your emergency flashers for your vehicle and dial 911,” he said.