Big rig crosses divider and kills cement truck driver on I-10 in California, USA.
NEWS:
A cement truck driver was killed after a big rig crossed the center divider on Interstate 10 in Riverside County, California, and slammed into traffic moving in the opposite direction, triggering a fiery multi-vehicle crash near the Washington Street exit.
The crash happened on Tuesday morning, April 14, on I-10 in the Palm Desert and Thousand Palms area. Highway officials said the big rig had been traveling eastbound when it veered left for reasons that had not been publicly determined, broke through the center divider and entered the westbound lanes.
Video from the crash shows a large truck crossing into opposing traffic and the collision erupting into flames and smoke. The footage captures the violent impact and the immediate aftermath on the freeway, with wreckage scattered across lanes and traffic forced to stop around the crash scene. The video supports the central sequence described by officials: the big rig entered the opposite side of I-10 and hit a cement truck.
The cement truck driver was later identified as George Mauricio, 62, of Yucca Valley. Authorities said he was driving westbound when the semi-truck crossed the median and struck his vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The semi-truck driver was identified in reports as a 38-year-old man from Menifee. He suffered major injuries and was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs. Other people involved in the crash were also taken to hospitals with injuries ranging from major to precautionary.
The collision did not involve only the two trucks. Officials said the big rig struck several vehicles as it crossed the eastbound lanes before entering westbound traffic. After the semi hit the cement truck, it came to rest across the freeway and was then struck by a Jeep. Other vehicles were caught in the chain-reaction crash.
Published counts differed on the exact number of vehicles involved. Early local reporting described six vehicles in the crash, while later accounts described it as an eight-vehicle pileup. Because the available reports differ, the crash is best described as a multi-vehicle pileup rather than by one fixed vehicle count.
Both trucks were badly damaged. Early images and video showed heavy fire and smoke around the wreckage, with the cement truck and the big rig torn apart by the impact. The companies connected to the trucks were not publicly identified in the accessible reports.
Highway officials said alcohol and drugs were not suspected as factors in the crash based on the information released at the time. The reason the big rig veered left, crossed the divider and entered oncoming traffic had not been publicly determined in the latest available updates.
The crash caused major traffic disruption on I-10. Westbound traffic was heavily backed up while crews cleared the wreckage, investigated the scene and reopened lanes. The freeway fully reopened later Tuesday night.
Authorities asked anyone with information about the crash to contact the California Highway Patrol’s Indio office and Officer J. Paz at 760-772-5300.
News story written by DarkGore.
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