Victim of Second Deadly Accident On I-10 Wednesday Was Indio Produce Executive

The accident on the eastbound I-10 freeway Wednesday night was the third deadly crash of the date. It was the result of a hit-and-run.

“Unfortunately, the victim is just an innocent bystander driving down the freeway,” said Officer David Valle, of the California Highway Patrol.

But, the real shocker turned out to be the victim’s identity.

“I froze in place. It was devastating,” said Mark Nickerson, of Prime Time International.

Marco DiMare, 41, died when the driver of an alleged stolen catering truck forced him off the freeway. DiMare slammed into oncoming traffic on a frontage road and overturned.

Dimare was general manager of Indio’s “Dimare Fresh” produce company, located on Ave. 44.

Dennis Jensen, of Sea View Packing, says his family and DiMare’s family are both in the citrus business. They had a spirited competition. But, they remain close.

In fact, Dennis last spoke with Marco on Wednesday afternoon.

“My reason for calling him was just to make sure he was geared and ready for minneolas that we’ll be harvesting here in ten days,” Jensen said.

On an online biography, DiMare explained why he loved working in agriculture. “People in agriculture are sensible. They are good to be around,” he said.

People who worked with DiMare say he was a nice man. His death sent ripples through the industry.

“All these packing houses. All the growers. Everybody feels bad,” said Juan Rodriguez, who worked with DiMare for 20 years. “I feel bad.”

DiMare was considered the new generation of the family dynasty. Colleagues say, he was on his way to taking the helm of the successful business.

“He was quiet, and that’s a good sign,” said Nickerson. “If people are quiet, they’re listening and learning. He learned a lot.”

DiMare is survived by his wife.

His killer was last seen running from the crash scene.