Iowa man indentified as victim in deadly crash in Chiriaco Summit

A 36-year-old Iowa man killed when a pickup truck crashed and overturned in Chiriaco Summit was not wearing a seatbelt, the California Highway Patrol reported Wednesday.

Brian Gallardo, of Le Mars, Iowa, died at the scene of Sunday’s 6:47 a.m. crash on westbound Interstate 10, just west of Box Canyon Road.

For “unknown reasons,” the truck’s driver, 38-year-old Dennis Perrin of Ireton, Iowa, “allowed the vehicle to drift off the right side of the roadway,” according to the CHP.

The 2001 Dodge Ram truck ended up on its side in the dirt shoulder off the freeway.

Gallardo was ejected from the Dodge and pronounced dead at the scene, according to the county coroner’s office.

Perrin was hospitalized with moderate injuries at JFK Memorial Hospital in Indio.

CHP said the crash remains under investigation, but alcohol and drugs did not appear to be factors in the crash.