BLYTHE, CA - Three construction workers who were killed in a four- vehicle collision involving a big rig on Interstate 10 in Blythe were identified Saturday.
The crash was reported about 5:15 a.m. Friday on eastbound I-10 east of Intake Boulevard, according to the California Highway Patrol.
A preliminary investigation determined the big rig was traveling east at an unknown speed when it struck a parked attenuator construction vehicle and an unoccupied Chevrolet Silverado before colliding with a water truck, the CHP stated.
"During the sequence of events, three construction workers were also struck and sustained fatal injuries," the department stated.
The big rig driver, identified as a 44-year-old Redlands man, suffered severe injuries to his head and leg and was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, according to the CHP.
The three men killed were identified Saturday as 27-year-old Christopher Benavidez Guatemala of Coachella, 50-year-old Alfonso Vega Torres also of Coachella and 39-year-old Francisco Morales Mendoza of Tonopah, Arizona, according to the Riverside County Coroner's Office.
Alcohol and drugs were not believed to be factors in the collision, the agency stated.
The cause of the collision remained under investigation.
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