INDIO: Fourteen injured, 4 left in critical condition, in DUI-related crash

INDIO – Fourteen people were injured when a suspected drunk driver smashed into three other vehicles Monday, Dec. 26. The accident, which the on-scene incident commander declared a mass-casualty event, happened at the intersection of Monroe Street and Avenue 48 in Indio about 6:48 p.m.

Of the fourteen victims who were injured in the accident, a total of eight victims with various injuries were transported to local area hospitals by AMR ground ambulances. Four victims of the collision, including a juvenile male, were left in critical condition, according to Indio Police Public Information Officer Sergeant Dan Marshall.

Because of the number of injured and the collision being declared a mass-casualty, thirty-six firefighters from six engine companies and one truck company responded to the major injury traffic collision, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Public Information Officer April Newman. They were assisted by four paramedic squads and eight AMR ambulances.

Two of the victims were left trapped in the mangled wrecks of their vehicles and had to be extricated from their vehicles by firefighters during cut and rescue operations.

Indio police officers conducted an investigation into the major-injury traffic collision. During their investigation, officers determined the chain-reaction accident was caused by Juan Gomez, 48, of Indio. Gomez was driving a Ford Explorer when the accident happened.

Gomez was traveling southbound on Monroe Street at a high rate of speed just before the accident happened, Marshall explained. As he was approaching Avenue 48, Gomez sideswiped a Toyota Camry and then crashed into the rear end of a stationary Nissan SUV. The Nissan SUV was then propelled forward into the rear-end of a stationary Honda SUV.

During their preliminary investigation, officers arrested Gomez on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, according to Marshall.

The intersection was closed for several hours while officers investigated the cause of the accident.

Anyone with any additional information regarding this accident or who witnessed the collision is encouraged to contact the Indio Police Department (760) 391-4057.

 

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Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.