Collision Kills 3 and Closes I-215 : Fatalities: At least 30 have died statewide over the holiday weekend.

A multi-vehicle accident on Interstate 215 in Riverside County on Friday left three people dead and pushed the state’s holiday weekend traffic death toll to at least 30.

The accident near the Alessandro Boulevard exit near Moreno Valley occurred about 10 a.m. and involved a big-rig truck and four other vehicles, California Highway Patrol dispatcher Dee Luna said. Several of the injured--the number was not immediately known--were taken to hospitals, she said.

Other details of the accident were sketchy. Luna said the freeway was closed in both directions as investigators scoured the scene.

The three deaths were not included in the CHP’s most recent statewide tally of holiday traffic accidents. According to that tally, 27 people died on state highways and in municipalities between 6 p.m. Wednesday and 6 a.m. Friday, three more than during the same period last year.

Five of the deaths occurred in Los Angeles County, compared to three in 1989. Of the 17 people who died in the CHP’s jurisdiction, 11 were not wearing seat belts, Officer Brent Vial said.

Also during the 36-hour period, law enforcement officers statewide arrested 1,079 motorists on suspicion of drunk driving, according to the CHP. Last year, 923 people had been arrested during the same period.

In Los Angeles County, there were 291 drunk driving arrests compared to 206 last year.

The increases in drunk driving arrests did not necessarily represent an increase in drunk driving, said Vial. “We’re always pushed to get as many drunk drivers off the streets as possible and every year we try to do more,” he said.

In 1989, 68 traffic deaths were recorded statewide during the four-day Thanksgiving weekend, eight in Los Angeles County. There were 2,427 drunk driving arrests.