CHP: Mother, 27, and child, 3, were not wearing seatbelts when fatally ejected in Thousand Palms rollover crash

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif., — Authorities say a mother and her young child were killed when a vehicle they were in was involved in a rollover traffic accident in Thousand Palms Tuesday morning, Feb. 15. The deadly solo-vehicle crash happened on Varner Road, east of Monterey Avenue, according to officials.

LEADING THE RCNS HEADLINES:

$2 million bail each for Orangecrest parents accused of ongoing, years-long sexual abuse of son and daughter

Video reveals chaotic Beaumont shooting as officials race to save officer crushed underneath overturned vehicle

UPDATE: Officials seek help locating vehicle after deadly 2020 Moreno Valley shooting

Six injured after vehicle careens off Hwy 79 while traveling through Lamb Canyon

Driver booked for murder after fatal DUI crash south of Corona

California Highway Patrol – Indio, Cal Fire – Riverside, and other emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene around 9:15 a.m. after receiving reports of a solo-vehicle crash with multiple ejections, CHP and Cal Fire later reported.

When officials arrived, they found a heavily damaged white SUV that had overturned in a field adjacent the roadway and confirmed finding a woman and child who had been ejected from their vehicle.

Officials say a 27-year-old Indio woman and her three-year-old child were killed in a rollover crash in Thousand Palms Tuesday Morning. Neither of the victims were wearing seatbelts and both were ejected in the crash. KESQ photo

Due to the severity of the victims’ injuries, an air ambulance was launched to the scene; however, the mother ultimately succumbed to her injuries and passed away before she could be transported. 

The Riverside County Sheriff – Coroner’s Office has since identified 27-year-old, Myriam Perez Machado, of Indio, as the woman killed in the accident. A Coroner’s release indicated she was pronounced deceased at the scene at 9:28 p.m.

The critically injured child, reported to be a three-year-old toddler, was rushed to an area hospital where they later passed away. The child’s name and gender have not yet been released.

CHP Officer Rafael Espinosa has since reported that Machado was traveling eastbound on Varner when she suddenly lost control of her vehicle and crashed, overturning into a dirt field.

Neither she nor the child were wearing seatbelts when the deadly crash occurred according to the officer, who said the cause of the accident remains under investigation.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information becomes available.



Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

Trevor 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, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.