The California Highway Patrol was initially called to the scene of an accident on the right shoulder of Interstate 10 and Whitewater Road. This accident occurred around 1:55 p.m. and involved two different single-car accidents.
There were not any significant injuries with those accidents. They called a tow truck to retrieve a Toyota Prius that had been involved with one of those initial accidents.
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The driver of the Prius was 40-year-old Gilberto Avila of Yucca Valley. Around 3:00 p.m., while the tow truck worker was hooking up the car, Avila stood on the right shoulder of the road and watched.
A man from Arizona was driving along Interstate 10 in a silver Chrysler Sebring, near the same spot where the first accidents occurred.
The initial investigation prepared by the California Highway Patrol showed that the driver of the Sebring was driving too fast for the weather conditions at the time of the accident. There was heavy precipitation at the time of the accident.
As the driver got closer to the Prius, he lost control and crossed over several lanes of traffic. The vehicle crossed over several lanes of traffic before colliding with the tow truck in the right shoulder of the road.
After striking the tow truck, the driver of the Sebring also struck Avila.
The Prius came off of the tow truck and overturned onto the second vehicle that the California Highway Patrol was initially called to the scene to handle.
Avila sustained significant injuries and was taken from the scene of the accident to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs.
He was later pronounced dead by the staff at the hospital. The driver of the Sebring and two others were taken to the hospital for minor injuries.
The California Highway Patrol confirmed that drugs and alcohol did not contribute to the accident. There have been no charges or citations issued as a result of the accidents at this time.