At Least One Person Killed After Vehicle Goes Over Guardrail on SR-138 in Phelan

PHELAN, Calif. (VVNG.com) — At least one person was killed early Saturday morning after a vehicle went over the guardrail along State Route 138 near the intersection with State Route 2 in the community of Phelan.

This incident occurred just hours after an unrelated fatal crash on a different stretch of Highway 138 in Pinon Hills on Friday night.

The crash was reported at approximately 3:01 a.m. on January 24, 2026. According to California Highway Patrol incident logs, a four-door sedan went over the guardrail and came to rest on its side on the opposite side of the barrier.

Good Samaritans stopped to help and attempted to reach the person trapped inside the vehicle. CHP logs confirmed the occupant was stuck and efforts were underway to get them out.

At 3:23 a.m., authorities requested a full closure of the eastbound lanes of SR-138 to allow emergency responders to access the crash site safely.

A landing zone was established at the Stater Bros. shopping center on Phelan Road, and fire personnel responded with an “invalid party,” indicating a seriously injured patient. However, the helicopter request was later canceled, and the patient was not airlifted.

By 4:10 a.m., the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department was notified to request the coroner, confirming that at least one person had died as a result of the crash. The identity of the deceased has not been publicly released pending notification of next of kin.

CHP logs noted that there were two male parties involved in the rollover crash, but the condition of the second individual has not been confirmed.

Caltrans was contacted several times throughout the morning to assist with traffic control. A hard closure was implemented on the westbound lanes of SR-138 just east of SR-2 during the recovery operation.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the California Highway Patrol Victorville Office.

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