Three people were killed in a head-on freeway crash caused by a wrong-way driver on I-15 in Eastvale. (Photo: NBC News)

Three people were killed Sunday — including a wrong-way driver — in a head-on freeway crash on Interstate 15 in Norco, 12 miles east of Riverside.

•  A Jeep Cherokee was driving northbound in the southbound lanes of the freeway.

•  The Jeep slammed head-on into a Honda, killing both occupants at the scene.

•  The Jeep driver died about an hour later at a nearby hospital.

The fatal car accident occurred at 1:41 a.m., according to a report in the Riverside Press-Enterprise.

California Highway Patrol said a blue 2001 Jeep Cherokee was spotted traveling north in the southbound lanes of I-15 near Sixth Street.

One minute later,  about a half mile south of 68th Street, the Jeep slammed head-on into a 2012 Honda Fit in the fast lane.

The driver and a passenger in the Honda — a man and a woman — both died at the scene. They had not been identified by the coroner as of Sunday evening.

The wrong-way driver in the Jeep — later identified as 23-year-old Nicholas Perez of Corona – sustained critical injures. He was taken to Corona Regional Hospital, where he died about 50 minutes later, according to officials at the Riverside County coroner office.

CHP investigators did not know why Perez was driving the wrong way on the freeway.

What happens when the driver who is at fault dies in the accident?

In this accident, the individual who caused the crash suffered fatal injuries.  Can the innocent victim still make a claim?

The answer is yes. The case survives even when the wrongdoer doesn’t. The insurance carrier for the car that the wrongdoer was driving remains liable for damages.  If that policy does not have enough coverage, additional compensation may be sought via Underinsured Motorist coverage from the insurance carrier for the vehicle in which the innocent victim was a driver or passenger.

If a lawsuit is necessary, it would be filed against the estate of the wrongdoer.  If there is no estate, then the injured party can force an estate to be set up to handle the lawsuit.

Riverside Freeway Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented the families of freeway accident victims for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.