Car over side closes portion of Railroad Canyon Road

A stretch of Railroad Canyon Road in Lake Elsinore is scheduled to be closed for several hours Monday night after a traffic accident involving a vehicle over the side of the road.

Traffic was being diverted from the road, which is a major traffic route between Menifee and Lake Elsinore. Motorists reported a traffic jam on Bundy Canyon Road as drivers tried to find another east-west route.

The accident was reported at 3:41 p.m. at Railroad Canyon Road and Church Street, according to a Riverside County Fire Department news release. Firefighters located a vehicle about 75 feet over the side of the road and set up a rope system to gain access to the vehicle. A patient was extricated from the vehicle and transported to a local hospital with critical injuries.

The Sheriff's Department advised motorists that Railroad Canyon Road would be closed from Canyon Hills Road to Grape Street for several hours. There has been no report of additional vehicles involved or other injuries.