One Dead, One Injured in Early Morning Thermal Crash

THERMAL, CA - A 62-year-old Mecca man was killed and another man was injured when a car was rear-ended by a pickup truck early this morning in Thermal.

The crash on northbound state route 86, south of Airport Boulevard and just east of Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport, was reported at 4:31 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

A 62-year-old man and his 30-year-old passenger, both of Mecca, were in a 1998 Toyota Corolla heading north on state Route 86 when a 2012 Chevrolet Silverado "for unknown reasons'' slammed into the back of the compact car,
said CHP Officer Mike Radford. The Toyota ended up in the right shoulder of the freeway and the Chevrolet struck the center divider.

The Toyota's driver was pronounced dead at the scene and his passenger was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center with injuries described as minor, Radford said. Neither man was immediately identified.

The Chevrolet's driver, Gerardo Nunez, 43, of Salinas, was uninjured. It was unclear whether he was arrested as a result of the crash, but Radford did say that alcohol and drugs did not appear to be factors.

A SigAlert was issued at 5:49 a.m. for the northbound lanes, sending drivers onto nearby Airport Boulevard and Fillmore Street to circumvent the crash scene. All lanes were reopened at 7:39 a.m., according to the CHP.

--City News Service