3 O.C. family members killed, 4 seriously injured in crash on 10 Freeway near Palm Springs
Three members of an Orange County family were killed, including two children, and four others seriously injured in a crash Sunday morning on the 10 Freeway near Palm Springs, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Nine family members from Anaheim were traveling in a Chevrolet Suburban on the eastbound 10 Freeway, where the SUV collided with a Tesla Model 3 and crashed into the center divider, the CHP said in a news release.
Officers responded at about 7:24 a.m. to the crash west of Haugen-Lehmann Way in Whitewater, where the Suburban overturned, ejecting six people and partially ejecting one person, said Officer Jason Montez, a CHP spokesperson.
“Preliminary information indicates not all occupants in the Chevrolet Suburban were using safety restraint systems or seat belts,” the officer said.
Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Brett Harris was responding to a call for backup at the time of the San Jacinto crash, which is under investigation.
An 8-year-old girl, a 12-year-old girl and a 31-year-old woman were pronounced dead at the scene, according to Montez. The 31-year-old was identified as Cecilia Villalobos, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. The two girls haven’t been identified.
Montez said a 3-year-old girl, a 7-year-old boy, an 11-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy suffered serious injuries. The 39-year-old man driving the Suburban and a 41-year-old man in the front passenger seat were also injured, Montez said.
The driver and lone occupant of the Tesla wasn’t injured, according to the CHP.
A 25-year-old Jordanian man was fatally shot Monday in Marina del Rey in what police have described as a road rage killing. A suspect in the case has not been identified or arrested.
Drugs and alcohol don’t appear to be a factor in the collision, according to Montez. Authorities are investigating whether speed was a factor and are trying to extract information from both vehicles.
The 10 Freeway was closed at Main Street until 3 p.m., when two lanes reopened; traffic was diverted at Main Street to Railroad Avenue, where cars reentered the 10 Freeway at Haugen-Lehmann Way. All eastbound lanes reopened at 3:30 p.m.
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