Cathedral City Teen Who Died In Crash With Pick-Up Truck Identified

INDIO, CA — An 18-year-old driver who authorities said was killed in Indio when he lost control of his car and slammed into a pick-up truck traveling in the other direction has been identified.

The fatality occurred just before 8 a.m. Tuesday on Varner Road, just east of 38th Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A coroner's report released Tuesday evening identified the victim as Andrew Castellanos of Cathedral City. Castellanos was heading eastbound when his Lexus sedan veered onto the right shoulder and lost control, according to the CHP statement. Authorities said he overcorrected to the left, crossing over the dividing lines into the westbound lane, where he collided with the pick-up.

The CHP was still investigating why the initial loss of control occurred. The agency said the truck -- initially reported as a construction vehicle and later identified as a white Ford hauling a utility trailer -- was occupied by two men. They were traveling westbound on Varner at the time of the collision, and both the driver and passenger sustained injuries, CHP said.

Paramedics pronounced Castellanos dead at the scene.

CHP officers shut down Varner in both directions to conduct a preliminary investigation and clear the wreckage. Traffic barricades were removed on the east side of the collision area at 11:25 a.m., according to CHP records.

Anyone with information about the crash was asked to contact the Indio CHP office at 760-772-5300.

—City News Service