I-10 Crash Victims ID'd: Coroner

THOUSAND PALMS, CA — Two people killed in a three-vehicle crash on westbound Interstate 10 in Thousand Palms were identified Wednesday.

The collision was reported shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday near mile marker 49, according to California Highway Patrol records. CHP officer Rafael Espinosa told City News Service that two big rigs and a car were involved in the crash, which initially shut down all lanes.

One lane was reopened shortly afterward as CHP personnel attempted to divert traffic through Varner Road, according to CHP records. The first death was discovered shortly afterward, and Espinosa told CNS that on-site CHP staff were investigating a possible second fatality, they "[couldn't] even identify some of the vehicles, since they're so smashed together."

Reports from Riverside County Coroner's Office on Wednesday morning identified the victims as 49-year-old Coachella resident Carolina Navarrete De Leal and 31-year-old Indio resident Fabian Zamora.

A driver who was behind the wheel of one of the trucks was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center, Espinosa said.

An update on that person's condition was not immediately available.