62-year-old man identified in deadly Thermal crash
Police and medics were on the scene of a deadly traffic collision in Thermal Wednesday morning, and traffic was being detoured off State Highway 86.
The California Highway Patrol said a 62-year-old man from Mecca was killed and a 30-year-old man traveling with him sustained minor injuries when their car was rear-ended by a pickup truck. The crash happened at about 4:30 a.m. on northbound Highway 86, just south of Airport Blvd.
The Riverside County Coroner’s Office identified the 62-year-old crash victim as Melquiades Mayo-Venancio. He and his passenger are both from Mecca.
They were in a Toyota Corolla when a Chevrolet Silverado slammed into the back of their car, CHP officer Mike Radford said. The Toyota ended up in the right shoulder of the freeway and the pickup truck struck the center divider.
Mayo-Venancio died at the scene and the 30-year-old was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center, authorities said.
The man driving the Chevrolet was 43-year-old Gerardo Nunez of Salinas. He wasn’t hurt in the crash. Officer Radford said that alcohol and drugs didn’t appear to be factors, but the cause of the crash is under investigation.
A SigAlert was issued at 5:49 a.m. for northbound lanes of Highway 86, detouring drivers onto Airport Blvd. and Fillmore Street. All lanes were back open at 7:39 a.m.
Stay with KESQ News Channel 3 / CBS Local 2 News as the investigation continues.
