San Diego — August 30, 2025
Two major crashes turned I-8 westbound into a scene of chaos early Saturday morning near Hotel Circle, leaving multiple people hospitalized and causing hours-long traffic gridlock.
The first collision was reported just after midnight when an ambulance was rear-ended near the SR-163 interchange. The impact set off a chain reaction involving several other vehicles, at one point blocking all westbound lanes. The ambulance crew activated their emergency alert, prompting radio dispatchers to go into emergency traffic mode. While the driver reported being uninjured, cars in the lanes behind were struck multiple times in secondary impacts. CHP quickly requested a SigAlert.
As firefighters and tow crews worked to clear that scene, a second, more serious crash occurred about a quarter mile behind in the traffic backup. Around 1:05 AM, a Toyota Tacoma and a black Ford Escape collided. The Ford, being used for an Uber ride, left three passengers trapped inside with deployed airbags. Fire crews had to divert out of the jammed freeway and circle back via Mission Center Road to reach the scene.
The rescue was complicated by the fact that ambulances were stuck in the same gridlock, forcing Caltrans to rush debris removal from the first crash before lanes could reopen enough to let emergency vehicles through. Eventually, all three Uber passengers were extricated and transported to hospitals.
Witnesses also reported several men fleeing on foot from one of the vehicles involved in the first crash, running toward Hotel Circle. CHP logged that detail but did not confirm if they were directly involved in the collision.
By about 2:30 AM, Caltrans had partially reopened the freeway after sweeping up debris and fluids. CHP confirmed multiple transports but has not released exact numbers of those injured.
