25-year-old killed, three people injured after a wrong-way crash on I-10 in Whitewater
WHITEWATER, Calif. (KESQ) - One person was killed and three others were injured in a high-speed wrong-way freeway collision on Interstate 10 early Friday morning in Whitewater.
Police said the three-vehicle collision was first reported at around 2:40 a.m. near the Whitewater Rest Stop in the eastbound number one lane.
According to CHP, a grey Volkswagen Jetta, driven by a 25-year-old man from Palm Springs, was traveling wrong-way on the freeway by traveling westbound in the #1 lane of designated eastbound lanes. A head-on crash occurred involving the Volkswagen and a black GMC Envoy.
The GMC was disabled in the center median, but the Volkswagen was pushed toward the #2 and #3 lane, into the path of a white Toyota CHR, resulting in a second crash.
The driver of the Volkswagen was pronounced dead at the scene. He was identified by the coroner's office as Kenneth Montenegro, 25, of Palm Springs.
In addition, one person suffered minor injuries, another moderate, and the third patient sustained serious injuries.
The CHP said the eastbound freeway lanes were closed for three hours and traffic was detoured off the eastbound freeway lanes to State Highway 111 into Palm Springs. All lanes are back open.
Stay with News Channel 3 for any new developments.
