A 28-year-old man was killed Wednesday when the compact sedan he was riding in overturned on Interstate 10 in Whitewater, where the driver lost control while allegedly drunk at the wheel.
The fatality occurred at 2:20 a.m. on eastbound I-10, just west of Highway 62, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Officer Jonathan Torres told City News Service that 25-year-old John Hernandez of Thousand Palms was driving his 2024 Honda Civic at an unconfirmed speed when he allowed the car to drift right and go out of control, causing it to roll at least once.
No other vehicles were involved.
Riverside County Fire Department crews reached the location a short time later and pronounced the passenger, identified only as a Cathedral City resident, dead at the scene.
Torres alleged that investigating officers soon determined Hernandez was under the influence. He was taken to a regional trauma center for treatment of unspecified injuries and was formally arrested on suspicion of DUI gross vehicular manslaughter.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the suspect had not yet been booked into a county detention facility.
Several eastbound lanes remained open after the crash.
Anyone with information about the accident was asked to contact the CHP’s San Gorgonio office at 951-846-5300.