Three people died in a wrong-way, head-on collision on westbound Interstate 10 in Blythe that may have involved impaired driving, authorities said Monday.
The crash was reported shortly after 6:30 a.m. Sunday west of Ford Dry Lake Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.
CHP officials said a 2017 Mercedes C300 was being driven the wrong way, eastbound in the westbound lanes of I-10, at an unspecified rate of speed when the vehicle collided head-on with a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado.
The Mercedes came to a rest on the freeway, while the Chevrolet came to a stop on the north dirt shoulder of the roadway.
The drivers of both vehicles were pronounced dead at the scene, and the front right passenger of the Chevrolet was pronounced dead en route to a hospital, according to the CHP. They were identified as Maria Dolores Romero Davila, 36, of Phoenix, Arizona, Jose Luis Lomeli Jr., 44, of Riverside, and Fernando Lomeli, 38, of Riverside.
Another passenger inside the Chevrolet was also taken to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs via airship for major injuries.
Alcohol is suspected to be a factor in the collision, according to the CHP, but no other details were immediately released.