Authorities Thursday released the name of a woman killed in Thermal after a driver ran a red light and broadsided the car she was in, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Gloria Lopez, 52, of Mecca, died at the scene of the 8 p.m. Wednesday crash that also injured two others at the intersection of Avenue 62 and state Route 86, authorities said.
Lopez was a passenger in a 2000 Mitsubishi Galant headed eastbound on Avenue 62 through the intersection when a 2014 Nissan Versa driven by 20-year- old Mecca resident Cynthia Rodriguez drove through a red light and into the Mitsubishi, CHP Officer Mike Radford said.
Lopez was seated on the side of the car that was struck and died at the scene. The Mitsubishi’s driver, an unidentified 33-year-old Mecca woman, suffered major injuries, while Rodriguez suffered minor injuries.
At least one person was pulled from one of the vehicles involved in the crash, said April Newman of the Riverside County Fire Department. Both Rodriguez and the Mitsubishi’s driver were taken to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs for treatment.
The cause of the crash remained under investigation, but Radford said “cell phone distraction may have been a factor, but it is not confirmed at this time.” Alcohol or drugs were not believed to be factors and all three women were wearing seatbelts when the crash occurred, Radford said.
All northbound lanes of the highway were temporarily closed following the crash.
–City News Service