A 25-year-old wrong-way driver killed in a three-vehicle collision that left at least two others injured in Whitewater was identified Saturday.
The California Highway Patrol was notified of a report of a driver traveling in the wrong direction on Interstate 10 shortly after 2:30 a.m. Friday. The crash occurred a few minutes later near the Whitewater Rest Area.
CHP officer Jonathan Torres told City News Service Saturday that the man was driving a gray Volkswagen Jetta in the westbound lanes of the eastbound side of the freeway, and caused a head-on collision with a black GMC Envoy. The crashed caused the Volkswagen to collide into a white Toyota C-HR.
The driver of the GMC, only identified as a 49-year-old Los Angeles man, and the Toyota driver — a 22-year-old La Quinta woman — sustained major injuries and were transported to the Desert Regional Medical Center for further treatment.
The Riverside County coroner’s office identified the deceased Friday as Kenneth Montenegro of Palm Springs. He was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
It was not know whether alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash, Torres said.
Anyone with information regarding the collision was urged to contact the CHP San Gorgonio Pass office at 951-846-5300.