One Killed, Two Seriously Injured in Indio Wrong-Way Crash
INDIO, CA – A wrong-way minivan crashed head-on into a car on an Interstate 10 off-ramp in Indio on Monday night, killing the minivan driver and seriously injuring two people in the other vehicle. The head-on collision was reported about 7:35 p.m. Oct. 5 on the eastbound freeway’s Monroe Street off-ramp.
The California Highway Patrol said the minivan traveled against traffic on the off-ramp and struck a car that was leaving the freeway. The minivan caught fire after the impact. Its sole occupant remained trapped inside and was pronounced dead at the scene.
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The other vehicle was a white Hyundai Sonata carrying two women from Indio. The Hyundai occupants suffered major injuries and were taken to Desert Regional Medical Center. One was driving and the other was riding as a passenger. Authorities did not release further information about their conditions.
Pursuit Preceded the Crash
Riverside County sheriff’s deputies had spotted a silver Mazda minivan near Park Street and Miles Avenue shortly after 7:30 p.m. Investigators described it as a wanted vehicle. Deputies attempted a traffic stop, but the driver did not yield and a pursuit began.
Deputies later lost sight of the Mazda on Monroe Street while continuing to check the area. They then found it at the off-ramp crash scene. A separate pursuit account confirmed that deputies no longer had the vehicle in view before the collision. Authorities had not said how far the Mazda traveled after officers lost sight of it.
The Riverside County coroner recorded the injury time as 7:35 p.m. and the death time as 7:48 p.m. The agency listed the eastbound I-10 off-ramp at Monroe Street as both the injury and death location and identified the CHP’s Indio office as the investigating agency.
The coroner’s initial record did not state a cause of death or describe the collision sequence beyond referring questions to the CHP. The public reports also did not explain why the Mazda entered the ramp in the wrong direction or whether speed, impairment or another factor contributed.
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Off-Ramp Closed During Investigation
The crash prompted a long-term closure of the Monroe Street off-ramp while firefighters, investigators and recovery crews worked around the burned minivan and damaged Hyundai. Main freeway lanes remained open, although traffic slowed near the response.
CHP investigators had not announced a final cause or assigned fault. Their preliminary account established the wrong-way movement, the head-on impact and the resulting fire, while leaving the Mazda driver’s actions before entering the ramp and the complete pursuit timeline under investigation.
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