One Killed, Two Hospitalized in Coachella Valley Crash

DESERT HOT SPRINGS, CA - One person died and two others were hospitalized – one of them in serious condition – in an early morning Desert Hots Springs crash, the fire department reports.

According to April Newman of the Riverside County Fire Department, the incident was first reported around 5:16 a.m. at the intersection of Palm Drive and Camino Campanero.

"The first arriving engine company reported a two vehicle traffic collision with major damage and confirmed entrapment," Newman said in a fire report.

Crews also found one person dead at the scene and say two people were trapped in the wreckage. Firefighters extricated both victims from one of the cars, one with major injuries and the other with moderate injuries, Newman said.

The deceased victim was the driver and sole occupant of the other vehicle involved, according to Desert Hot Springs Detective Christopher Saucier.

The two injured victims were taken to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, where they were expected to recover, Saucier said.

Palm Drive was closed to traffic from Camino Campanero to Dillon Road for about six hours.

The cause of the crash remained under investigation, according to the detective.

– Image via Shutterstock / City News Service contributed to this report.