Crash Victim Discovered Alive After Being Deemed Dead In Banning

BANNING, CA — A crash Saturday on eastbound Interstate 10 in Banning that seriously injured several people remains under investigation Wednesday, the California Highway Patrol said.

The solo-vehicle wreck that was reported shortly after 1:30 p.m. near Hargrave Street was thought to be a fatality after one person in the 2004 Ford Expedition was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:08 p.m. by Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department. The person was trapped in the wreckage and showed no viable signs of life, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department spokesperson Rob Roseen.

Fifty-eight minutes later, however, as fire crews continued extricating the body from the mangled wreckage, it was determined the person was still breathing, Roseen explained.

"The patient took a breath, and a few seconds later a second breath," Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department Captain Richard Cordova said. "But there was never a pulse on the patient, even after being hooked up to a monitor. This is not uncommon in a deceased person."

The victim, a male who was wearing a safety belt, technically survived the crash, but he remained hospitalized in critical condition, CHP Officer Matt Napier said Tuesday.

The crash situation was harrowing. Roseen called it a "mass patient incident," where fire crews must prioritize victims in order to save lives.

"Patient care is our number one priority," Roseen said.

Seven other people, ranging in age from 2 to 38, were also involved in the crash.

Four people were seriously injured, three suffered moderate injuries and one person refused treatment, Roseen said.

All of the victims resided outside of Riverside County in either Long Beach, Rialto or Compton, Napier said.

Two of the Expedition's occupants were thrown from the vehicle during the crash and were seriously injured. One person was partially ejected and suffered moderate injuries. The three people were not wearing safety belts, according to Napier.

"Most people don't survive if they're ejected," Napier said.

The 38-year-old female driver from Rialto escaped serious injury and was wearing a safety belt. The 2-year-old child was properly harnessed in a car seat and also escaped serious injury but was hospitalized for evaluation, according to Napier.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the CHP. Alcohol and/or drugs are not considered to be crash factors, Napier said.

—Editor's note: This story was updated with comments from Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department Captain Richard Cordova.