Person killed in five-vehicle crash near Desert Hot Springs identified

One person was killed in a crash involving five vehicles near Desert Hot Springs Monday just after noon, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The Riverside County Coroner's Office identified the man as Raul Silva-Chavez, 23, of Cathedral City. The statement did not mention if he was a driver or passenger, or which vehicle he was in.

Silva-Chavez was fatally injured after his Nissan 350Z drifted into the opposite lanes of traffic for unknown reasons on Palm Drive near 20th Avenue at about 12:15 p.m. Monday, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Silva-Chavez was driving his two-seater sports car southbound ``at a high rate of speed'' when it veered into the northbound lanes and collided head-on with a pickup truck followed by three cars behind it, the CHP said.

One of the three cars, a Hyundai Elantra, subsequently caught fire, although the driver escaped injury. The car was fully engulfed by the time Riverside County Fire Department crews arrived, officials said.

Silva-Chavez was rushed to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, where he died about 2 1/2 hours after the crash, according to Riverside County coroner's officials.

He was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash, the CHP said.

The driver of the pickup truck additionally suffered a minor laceration to the face, officials said.

Silva-Chavez's family has reached out with a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral expenses. Click here if you would like to donate.