Two men who were killed when a big rig collided with multiple vehicles on Interstate 10 in Cathedral City were identified Friday.
Francisco Sicairos Leon, 58, of Desert Hot Springs, and Miguel Macias, 49, of Santa Ana, were killed shortly after 6:40 a.m. Thursday when a semi truck traveling westbound on Interstate 10 east of Date Palm Drive drove through the center divider and over the guard rail into eastbound lanes, according to California Highway Patrol David Torres.
Torres said the truck driver made “an unsafe turning movement to the left” on the freeway. The big rig rolled over as it careened through the center divider and hit five vehicles, including a Mercury Mountaineer, Toyota Camry, Chevrolet Malibu and a Cadillac Escalade.
The driver of the Mercury and a rear-seat passenger in the Camry, who was not wearing a seat belt, were ejected from their vehicles and were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the CHP.
The driver and passenger in the Camry and the driver of the Chevrolet sustained major injuries and were taken to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs.
It was unclear if the big rig driver sustained any injuries.
The eastbound freeway remained closed for hours after the crash, finally reopening at 2:15 p.m. Thursday.
Anyone with information regarding the collision was urged to contact Officer Ponce at 760-772-5300.