I-10 Wrong-Way Crash Kills Driver, Injures 3 Others: CHP

WHITEWATER, CA — An early Friday morning wrong-way crash on I-10 eastbound killed one person and injured three others near Whitewater, California Highway Patrol said. The collision involved a westbound sedan in eastbound lanes, CHP dispatch said.

Just after 2:30 a.m. a driver traveling in the wrong direction was reported shortly after 2:30 a.m., according to CHP records. Ten minutes later, a crash occurred near the Whitewater Rest Area. The Riverside County Coroner's Office responded to the scene to collect and identify the body.

Fire department medics took three injured patients—among two whose injuries were designated as "major" —to Desert Regional Medical Hospital. Updates on their conditions were not immediately available.

During the incident, a total closure of eastbound I-10 lanes was implemented, but by 6 a.m., all lanes of the I-10 freeway were reopened to traffic, according to CHP records.

None of the drivers involved were identified, with the coroner's office withholding the name of the deceased person until notification of next of kin.