Driver Dies After Crashing Into Palm Tree

A driver died sometime early Monday morning after a car hit a fence and a date palm tree in a rural area near Thermal, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The accident at Pierce Street and Airport Boulevard was discovered by fire crews who had just wrapped up their work at a nearby call around 3 a.m.

Riverside County sheriff’s deputies told News Channel 3’s June Bulnes the car was likely traveling on Pierce Street at a high rate of speed when it hit a fence and then the date palm tree.

No one reported seeing the accident happen.

The Riverside County Coroner’s Office reported late Monday afternoon that the name of the driver was Esteban Herrera, also known as Merce Beltran, 27, of Coachella.

The coroner said Herrera did not have his seat belt on, and sustained “fatal injuries.”

If you have information about the accident, you’re urged to call the Riverside County Sheriff’s Dept.