2 children, 1 woman killed in crash near Palm Springs

May 15, 2023
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Three of the nine family members inside a Chevrolet Suburban died in a crash Sunday on the 10 Freeway in Whitewater.

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.

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“Preliminary information indicates not all occupants in the Chevrolet Suburban were using safety restraint systems or seat belts,” the officer said.

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.

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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.

Source: Los Angeles Times