Man Killed In Beaumont I-10 Crash Was From NC, Navy Officials Alerted

BEAUMONT, CA — A crash Friday afternoon on Interstate 10 in Beaumont left a North Carolina man dead, and preliminary information indicates he was a Navy service member.

The crash occurred at approximately 12:33 p.m. on the westbound side of the freeway, just east of Beaumont Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The 31-year-old Burgaw, North Carolina, resident was driving west in a 2015 Kia in the number four lane of I-10 when, "for unknown reasons," he failed to see stopped traffic ahead, according to a CHP report released Friday afternoon.

The man, who was alone in the Kia, slammed into the back of a stopped 2019 Freightliner semi-truck. The 56-year-old truck driver from Desert Hot Springs was idling due to traffic stopped ahead of him, the CHP report stated.

The North Carolina man died at the scene. His identity was not released pending notification of next of kin. According to the California Highway Patrol's CAD log, Navy officials were contacted about the death and were advised to contact the coroner's office in Perris.

The truck driver suffered minor injuries in the incident; his unidentified passenger was not injured, according to the CHP report.

No arrests were announced.

The crash forced the partial closure of westbound I-10 for several hours as part of the CHP investigation.

Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact CHP Officer K. McCallum at the San Gorgonio Pass Area CHP office at 951-769-2000.