Coroner ID’s second victim in deadly day on I-10
Two people were killed after three crashes occurred on I-10 Wednesday morning.
The victim in the first crash has been identified as 33-year-old Joshua Tyler of Glendale, Arizona. The crash happened around 2 a.m., about 20 miles west of Blythe in Desert Center and it involved three big rig semis.
Witnesses said one driver slowed down for an earlier wreck in the opposite lanes and was rear-ended by another truck. United Freight Service owns the truck that was rear-ended.It was hauling wood flooring samples.
The other deadly crash on I-10 occurred at 8:43 a.m., about 20 miles east and eight hours in the aftermath of the first crash. The coroner’s officer identified the victim as 57-year-old Randall McFall from Moreno Valley.
Officer Mike Radford with CHP told KESQ and CBS Local 2 that a tractor trailer combination vehicle went off the road, striking a guard rail and traveling into the wash, eventually hitting the rocky, raised embankment on the east side of the wash.
The driver, a 52-year-old man from San Bernardino, was in the right lane when he apparently traveled partially to the left lane before drifting to the right and off the roadway. The crash is under investigation.
The cab was crushed and the driver became trapped in the wreckage, along with McFall, whom was apparently riding in the sleeper cab of the vehicle. Authorities haven’t said if McFall was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.
Cal Fire crews were able to safely pull the driver from the crash after working to free him for about three hours, according to Officer Radford. He was airlifted to the hospital with major injuries. Unfortunately, McFall didn’t make it.
CAL FIRE said the truck was hauling furniture.
Crews had to use a tow truck to pull apart the wreckage in the rescue attempt. Officials said it was a massive effort and a delicate operation as 25 firefighters worked to free the men trapped. Every move was meticulously planned.
“For every action of moving a piece of metal there is also a subsequent reaction that may not be in the best interest for the patient you are working on or any of this passengers,” said CAL FIRE Battalion Chief Bonifacio De La Cruz.
An ambulance and paramedics were on standby.
A Hazmat crew was also called to the crash. Crews were on scene clearing the wreckage until about 7 p.m. Wednesday.
The freeway is the major traffic artery between Southern California, Blythe, Arizona and to the east. Traffic was backed up for more than five miles there as of 5:00 a.m. Wednesday, but had mostly cleared by 8:30 a.m.
The third crash impacted traffic for a short time as well but it didn’t prove to be as big of a factor as the two crashes earlier in the day; mainly due to the fact that the tractor trailer was completely off the road.
The first collision happened at about 12:54 a.m. in the opposite lanes closing the westbound lanes of Interstate 10 just east of Corn Springs Road.
This collision involved a vehicle and big rig semi.
The California Highway Patrol said three injuries were reported in that crash, two people with head injuries, a third person suffered a back injury.
Two people were transported to hospitals by ambulance, another was set to be flown to a hospital by helicopter. That wreck also closed all westbound lanes because of fire in the truck. One lane was reopened in each direction.
