Lake Elsinore Personal Injury Resources

Injury crashes in Lake Elsinore

Source: CHP's statewide crash database (data.ca.gov), all reporting agencies. Lake Elsinore averaged 218 injury or fatal crashes a year in 2022–2024, compared with 231 a year in 2016–2018 (-6%).

Year	Crashes with someone hurt or killed	People injured	People killed
2016	216	308	5
2017	235	342	10
2018	241	336	18
2019	Not shown: the State's 2019 file covers only January to April.
2020	190	275	3
2021	246	342	6
2022	219	311	5
2023	212	286	4
2024	222	293	8
2025 (may rise)	277	408	7
2026 (year to date)	174	234	0

What Lake Elsinore's 2020–2024 crash reports show

1,089 injury or fatal crashes over five years, compared with the whole county.

Measure	Lake Elsinore	Riverside County
Crashes with someone hurt or killed	1,089	51,948
Fatal crashes	26	1,545
A pedestrian was involved	54 (5%)	5%
A bicyclist was involved	25 (2%)	3%
Hit-and-run	74 (7%)	10%
DUI recorded as the main cause	134 (12%)	10%
After dark	350 (32%)	33%
On a freeway	225 (21%)	25%

Compared with the county as a whole, the category that stands out most in Lake Elsinore's reports is dui recorded as the main cause: 12% of the city's injury crashes, against 10% countywide.

Most common types of collision:

Rear-end: 30%
Broadside (T-bone): 28%
Hit an object: 17%

Most common primary causes recorded by officers:

Unsafe speed for conditions (Vehicle Code § 22350): 29%
Unsafe turn or lane change (Vehicle Code § 22107): 16%
Driving under the influence (Vehicle Code § 23152): 12%

Counts are raw numbers, not rates. The primary cause is the officer's entry on the report, not a finding of fault. Open Lake Elsinore in the crash explorer.

Lake Elsinore in the state's crash rankings (2023)

Rank 1 is the worst among cities of similar population [source]. Lake Elsinore's worst category rank among cities of its size was motorcycle: 11 of 103. All 28 cities compared.

Category	Count and rank
Size group (population)	Group C (population 73,079) [source]
Killed or injured, all crashes	214 (rank 65/103) [source]
Alcohol-involved	30 (rank 43/103) [source]
Motorcycle	20 (rank 11/103) [source]
Pedestrian	7 (rank 95/103) [source]
Bicycle	1 (rank 100/103) [source]
Speed-related crashes	33 (rank 56/103) [source]
Hit-and-run crashes	7 (rank 90/103) [source]
Composite	rank 70/103 [source]

Local facts: Lake Elsinore

Population	U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 population estimate for Lake Elsinore city, CA: 75,067 (July 1, 2025). Estimates base (April 1, 2020): 70,248. [source]
Highways	The City of Lake Elsinore describes the Interstate 15 (I-15)/State Route 74 (SR-74) (Central Avenue) interchange as located in the City of Lake Elsinore. [source] In Lake Elsinore, traffic signals along State Route 74 and at the freeway on/off-ramps are maintained by Caltrans, not the City. [source]
Recent road projects	City of Lake Elsinore Murrieta Creek Multi-Use Trail Project: a 1.3-mile, 10-foot-wide paved regional multi-use trail funded through the Active Transportation Program, connecting the existing Lake Levee Trail and the Palomar Trail, with safety fences, retaining walls and a span bridge. The City says construction was scheduled to begin October 27, 2025 and be completed by the end of October 2026. [source] RCTC Interstate 15 Railroad Canyon Road Interchange Project (Lake Elsinore) - status Completed; construction May 2020 to summer 2022 (new interchange opened April 2022); $41 million (construction). Added lanes on Railroad Canyon Road through the interchange and auxiliary lanes on I-15. [source] Caltrans SR 74 Lane Widening Safety Project (Ortega Highway near the City of Lake Elsinore, from just west of Monte Vista St. to Grand Ave.): construction has started; $96.1 million to widen lanes and shoulders and add safety features. Caltrans warns weekend work may require extended closures, including 55-hour full route closures. [source] City of Lake Elsinore I-15 Main Street Interchange Project: widening of Main Street through the interchange, new traffic signals at the ramps and at Camino Del Norte, ramp widening and on-ramp metering; estimated construction cost $8 million. The City page gives an estimated timeline beginning March 2022 with completion expected in approximately 18 months; it does not state a completion date. [source] City of Lake Elsinore I-15/SR-74 (Central Avenue) Interchange Improvement Project is a proposal (estimated construction cost $39 million) that was in the alternatives analysis and environmental review phase; it is not presented by the City as scheduled for construction. [source] City of Lake Elsinore Main Street Pedestrian Safety Improvements project (Main Street from Lakeshore Drive to the I-15 interchange) includes crosswalk enhancements, reconstructed ADA ramps and inset pedestrian flashing lights at the crosswalk in front of City Hall. The City page says the project is in construction and will be complete in February 2025. [source]
Fire and paramedics	The City of Lake Elsinore contracts with the Riverside County Fire Department / CAL FIRE for fire protection services, including fire prevention, suppression and emergency medical response, operating from four fire stations. [source] Lake Elsinore's four city fire stations are Canyon Hills Station No. 94, Lake Elsinore Station No. 10, McVicker Park Station No. 85 and Rosetta Canyon Station No. 97. [source]
Report a road hazard	Lake Elsinore uses LE Ready, a free, location-based emergency notification system that sends alerts by phone, text and email about wildfires, floods, evacuations, extreme heat and major road closures. [source] Lake Elsinore residents can report potholes, street lights that are not working and traffic signal problems through the City's Alert LE service. [source] City-owned streetlights in Lake Elsinore are repaired by the regional contractor Siemens; outages can be reported 24/7 by calling Siemens' Riverside County Office at 951-784-6600 or online. [source]
City traffic safety	Caltrans' Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 12 funded a City of Lake Elsinore safety project on Railroad Canyon Road from Summerhill Drive/Grape Street to the eastern city boundary: relocating utility poles and installing guardrails near Church Rd., high friction surface treatment, flashing chevron and "Curve Ahead" signs, and signal improvements. Project cost $4,395,000, with $3,955,500 in HSIP funds. [source] HSIP Cycle 12 also funded Lake Elsinore upgrades at thirty signalized intersections: retroreflective signal backplates, pedestrian countdown signal heads and leading pedestrian intervals (project cost $846,400; HSIP funds $761,760). [source] HSIP Cycle 11 funded Lake Elsinore's Citywide Pedestrian Crosswalk Enhancements: Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons at existing pedestrian crossings at various locations in the City, plus advance yield lines and signs ($250,000 project; $225,000 HSIP). [source] HSIP Cycle 9 funded a $1,348,900 Lake Elsinore project at ten intersections to install advanced dilemma zone detection, protected left turns and pedestrian countdown heads. [source] The Lake Elsinore Police Department's Traffic Bureau investigates traffic collisions; its Accident Investigation Team officers are on call 24/7 and respond to all major injury and fatal traffic accidents in the City. Questions about major traffic collisions go to 951-245-3300. [source] Lake Elsinore residents can ask the City Traffic Engineer to evaluate a traffic situation by calling the City's traffic hotline at 951-674-3854 or emailing the Traffic Engineer. [source] Lake Elsinore's Local Roadway Safety Plan for Railroad Canyon Road (March 2022) found 245 collisions from 2015 to 2021, 22 of them involving people killed or severely injured - on average three people killed or severely injured each year on that road in Lake Elsinore. The most common primary collision factors were unsafe speed (35%) and improper turning (32%). [source] The City of Lake Elsinore installed a Speed Feedback Sign on westbound (downhill) Railroad Canyon Road between Summerhill Drive and Church Road, according to its Railroad Canyon Road safety plan. [source]
Public transit	Riverside Transit Agency (RTA) routes 8, 9 and 206 serve Lake Elsinore. Route 206 connects Temecula, Murrieta, the Lake Elsinore Outlet Center Park and Ride and the Corona Transit Center. [source]
Also note	Lake Elsinore's e-bike ordinance (Municipal Code Chapter 10.54, Ordinance 1535 of May 26, 2026) allows Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes only on these public trails in the City: City skate parks, the BMX Pump Track, the Lake Elsinore Levee Trail and the Murrieta Creek Trail. Class 3 e-bikes are prohibited on all public trails in the City. [source] Under Lake Elsinore Municipal Code Chapter 10.54, riders of e-bikes and other regulated mobility devices under 18 must wear a fastened bicycle helmet (all Class 3 riders must too); only riders 16 or older may operate e-bikes, electric personal assistive mobility devices and electric boards during hours of darkness, with a white front lamp and a red rear light; and a rider must be 16 or older to operate a Class 3 e-bike. [source] Lake Elsinore's e-bike ordinance makes a parent or legal guardian jointly liable with a minor who violates it, and a violator may be required to complete a City-approved safe-riding class in lieu of a fine; officers may impound a device left blocking pedestrian or vehicle traffic in public areas. [source] In Lake Elsinore, electric motorcycles (more than 750 watts, no operable pedals, or able to exceed 20 mph on motor power alone) are not treated as e-bikes: operators need a motorcycle license, registration and plate, a DOT-approved helmet for operator and riders, and proof of insurance. [source] Lake Elsinore's Municipal Code bans skateboarding and roller skating on sidewalks and parking areas in a business district and on any roadway between sunset and sunrise, and requires a helmet, kneepads and elbow pads at the McVicker Canyon Skate Park and other City-designated skating areas. [source] Lake Elsinore's Municipal Code requires anyone driving a motor vehicle off-road on someone else's land to carry written permission from the owner and show it to police on request, and bans off-highway motor vehicles in the City without a spark arrester. [source] On the lake, the Lake Elsinore Police Department's Lake Patrol is supported by Lake Elsinore Marine Search and Rescue (L.E.M.S.A.R.) volunteers, who are trained in emergency First Aid and CPR and must complete the U.S. Coast Guard's auxiliary boating and safety course. [source] On the lake at Lake Elsinore, the City sets boating speed zones: the maximum speed in the High Speed Zone is 35 MPH on weekends and holidays from May 1 to September 30, boaters must be at least 16 to exceed 35 MPH there, and vessels must travel counter-clockwise outside the Slow/No Wake Zone. [source]

Police and crash reports in Lake Elsinore

Law enforcement	Lake Elsinore contracts with the Riverside County Sheriff for police services. [source]

Sheriff station	Lake Elsinore Station 333 Limited Avenue, Lake Elsinore, CA 92530 [source] 951-245-3300 [source]

How to request a Sheriff crash report →

Freeway and state highway crashes: CHP.

Injury claims against the City of Lake Elsinore

Generally due within six months (Gov. Code § 911.2).

Form	Get a claim form at the City Clerk's Office at city hall, or download it. [source]
Form link	Claim For Damages Form (PDF), a scanned document read visually. URL: official link [source]
After you file	Claims are investigated by professional claims adjusters through CJPIA's administrator, Carl Warren Co. [source]

Hurt in Lake Elsinore?

Tell us what happened in Lake Elsinore. Our Riverside office handles injury cases across the county, and consultations are free, in English or Spanish.

Call (951) 848-5376 Send a message → · Office details

Courts

Courthouses whose published case lists include Lake Elsinore: Riverside Historic Courthouse (unlimited civil) [source]; Corona Courthouse (limited civil and small claims) [source]. Addresses, fees and filing rules →

Nearest trauma centers

By straight-line distance from the center of Lake Elsinore's reported crashes: Inland Valley Medical Center (Southwest Healthcare Inland Valley Hospital) (Level II (adult), Wildomar) and Riverside University Health System - Medical Center (Level I (adult); also listed as a pediatric trauma center, Moreno Valley). In an emergency, call 911.

Dog bites and animal control

Report a dog bite or a dangerous animal in Lake Elsinore to: What to do after a dog bite →

Who handles it	Animal Friends of the Valleys, under contract with the City of Lake Elsinore. [source]

School injury claims

School injury claims go to the district, not the city. Confirm which district serves the school. All 23 districts.

Lake Elsinore Unified School District

Phone	The district's Safety & Risk Services office can be reached at 951-253-7138. [source]
District main phone	(951) 253-7000 (district office) [source]

Guides that mention Lake Elsinore

Lakes and boating

Every fact on this page links to the official source it came from. We checked each one in September 2026. Agencies change fees and procedures, so confirm with the agency before you go. How we research.

Injured in Lake Elsinore: local resources