Semi overturns on I-10 near Desert Center, injuring driver

DESERT CENTER, Calif. (KESQ) - A tractor-trailer overturned Friday on Interstate 10 west of Desert Center, injuring and trapping the driver, as well as prompting partial closure of the highway.

The rollover wreck was reported at 10:55 a.m. on westbound I-10, roughly halfway between Desert Center and Chiriaco Summit, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The agency said the big rig, hauling bales of hay, plowed into the guardrail on the north side of the interstate and overturned.   

No other vehicles were involved.   

Riverside County Fire Department crews reached the location within 20 minutes and discovered the trucker injured and pinned inside the cab of the semi.

CHP said the driver suffered major injuries to their arm.

CHP officers shut down the westbound slow lane to provide space for first responders to work, though most of the truck was displaced off the interstate.

Traffic was slow on both sides of I-10 due to the wreck.

There was no immediate word on what might have triggered the crash.