3 dead, 6 injured in crash on eastbound I-10 in Whitewater
Update: 5/15/23
The Riverside County coroner's office identified the woman killed in the crash as Cecilia Villalobos, 31, of Anaheim. Two young girls, identified only as 8- and 12-year-old Anaheim residents, also died at the crash site.
Original Report 5/14/23
Three members of an Anaheim family, two girls, and a woman, were killed Sunday morning in a crash on eastbound Interstate 10 in Whitewater.
The crash was reported at 7:27 a.m. in the eastbound lanes near Haugen Lehmann Way, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
Investigators determined that a Tesla driven by a 31-year-old Indio man and a 2001 Chevrolet Suburban, driven by a 39-year-old Anaheim man, were traveling in the same direction when they crashed. The driver of the SUV lost control and crashed into the center divider, and overturned, ejecting six occupants, and partially ejecting another.
According to California Highway Patrol, some of the SUV occupants, all of whom were related, were not believed buckled in.
Three female occupants of the Suburban were pronounced dead at the scene, ages 10, 12, and 31.
Four other occupants of the SUV suffered major injuries, including a 3-year-old girl, a 7-year-old girl, an 11-year-old girl, and a 15-year-old boy. The driver suffered moderate injuries and a 41-year-old front passenger suffered minor injuries, according to CHP.
The driver and sole occupant of the Tesla was uninjured. An air ambulance carried two of the injured victims to a trauma center, where they were being treated for major injuries.
I-10 eastbound was closed at Main Street until 3 p.m., when the left two lanes were reopened, according to the CHP. All lanes were reopened by 3:30 p.m.
Stay with News Channel 3 for the latest developments on this collision.
