EXCLUSIVE: I-10 Crash Victim Speaks

A driver involved in the second deadly crash along Interstate 10 Wednesday is still on the run.

The victim of the hit-and run is a well-known businessman from Indio.- News Channel 3 has learned new details on what led up to that deadly wreck.

The driver of a stolen catering truck was heading east on Interstate 10 before he barreled into several cars, eventually killing a man, authorities said.

Cathy Schwanz is one victim left traumatized after being sideswipped by the driver. However, she said she is thankful to be alive.

“I was already pretty shook up from realizing that I was so close to such an accident,” she said. “To tell you the truth, I really didn’t want to know about the fatality because because it was very sad.”

Marco Dimare, 41, of Indio, was forced off the freeway Wednesday after the stolen catering truck slammed into his car.

Dimare hit another car on a frontage road and died at the scene.

“I feel very blessed that I’m not grieving for a family member,” she said, “or, my family is not grieving for me.”

Dimare was the last person hit by the stolen truck, but Schwanz may have been the first.

She lives in Moreno Valley and was traveling east on Interstate 10, on her way to work in Banning.

Schwanz was driving at about 55 miles per hour, preparing to make a lane change after passing Beaumont Avenue.

“I was just getting ready to clear him to go a little faster to make my exit when all of a sudden on the driver-side, someone come along and sideswipped my whole side,” she said.

A tire blew, and Schwanz’s driver-side mirror was stripped off.

“I was totally out of control for a few minutes, going back and forth between the first and second lanes, trying to get control of the car,” she said.

Schwanz eventually gained control and pulled over to the emergency lane.

Two witnesses rode behind her with their hazard lights on — guiding her off the interstate and into a parking lot, where she called 911; California Highway Patrol showed up minutes later.

“Highway Patrol was getting a message at that time that the catering truck that hit me had also hit someone further down the road,” she said.

Dimare was killed 15 minutes after Schwanz was hit, according to CHP.

Schwanz said it all happened fast.

She didn’t get a clear look at the driver.

“I think I saw a brake light, because I remember thinking, ‘OK, he’s going to stop,'” she said. “But he didn’t. The brake light was just for a moment, and then he just sped away.”

The driver fled the scene after overturning the truck.

Schwanz wants the man to turn himself in and to be placed behind bars.

“My heart really goes out and my prayers go out to the people that lost loved ones in this crazy, crazy situation,” she said.

Schwanz was not injured.

The driver was described as a Hispanic man last seen on foot, running eastbound on Interstate 10.

If you have any information that could help solve this crime, call the California Highway Patrol or Valley Crimestoppers at 760 341-STOP.

You can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a $1,000 reward.