One Dead, Five Hurt After Head-On Crash in Indio; Driver Suspected of DUI

A head-on crash in Indio Sunday night killed one person and seriously injured five others, including an 8-year-old boy, after a Toyota Corolla and Honda Accord collided at the intersection of Avenue 44 and Arabia Street just after 7 p.m.

Inside the Honda, a 31-year-old man was driving, with a 33-year-old woman and her young son in the car. All three were hurt. The woman and her child were airlifted from John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital to Riverside University Health System Medical Center in Riverside. The driver was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. All three are listed in stable condition.

The Toyota Corolla was occupied by three people, though one initially fled the scene. Officers found one unresponsive in the passenger seat, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. A second man was found lying in the road next to the vehicle with serious injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he remains in critical condition.

The Toyota's driver, a 27-year-old man, fled on foot after the crash but was found hiding nearby on Arabia Street. Police took him into custody without incident and transported him to a hospital, where he is listed in critical but stable condition. Investigators say he is suspected of driving under the influence.

The identity of the person killed has not been released, pending notification of next of kin by the Riverside County Coroner's Office.

The Indio Police Department's Traffic Unit is continuing to investigate. Anyone with information is asked to call (760) 391-4057.