Accident on I-10 in Blythe causes traffic jam
Three people, including a pregnant woman and an infant, were seriously injured in a two-vehicle freeway crash today in Blythe, causing a shutdown of freeway lanes to allow emergency crews to airlift the victims.
The crash was reported at 12:33 p.m. on eastbound Interstate 10, west of Mesa Road, according to April Newman of the Riverside County Fire Department.
A pregnant woman, an infant and another person suffered serious injuries in the crash that involved at least one vehicle overturning, Newman said.
Three helicopters were called in to land on Interstate 10 and airlift the patients to hospitals, prompting the California Highway Patrol to shut down all eastbound lanes to allow the helicopters to land.
At 1:45 p.m., fire officials reported that the infant had been flown to a children’s hospital in Arizona. The pregnant woman, initially reported as having suffered major injuries, was flown to a hospital, with her condition downgraded to moderate injuries.
Authorities cleared the scene and all lanes were reopened just after 2 p.m. The closure, however, prompted a miles-long backup on the eastbound freeway. Some motorists stranded on the freeway posted photos of the backup from as far away as Desert Center.
