Small RV Crashes, Burns on I-10 Near Indio, Killing 4

A recreational vehicle crashed into a center divider and exploded into flames Thursday night on Interstate 10 near Indio, killing four people and leaving one passenger in grave condition, authorities said.

The survivor, believed to be a teenage girl, suffered third-degree burns over 70% of her body and was hospitalized at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, a spokeswoman for the California Highway Patrol said.

The girl survived the crash “only because she was semi-ejected. The fire burned so fast and hot that witnesses could only drag her from the wreckage, and she was on fire,” CHP spokeswoman Tami Low said.

Witnesses told police that the vehicle, described as a small RV possibly registered in Arizona, drifted from the fast lane onto a dirt-and-brush-covered center divider, striking a metal guardrail about 15 miles east of Indio at 10:35 p.m.

Investigators think the vehicle burst into flames when a propane or gasoline tank ruptured.

The Riverside County coroner was unable to identify the sexes or ages of the four who were killed, or identify the vehicle.

Autopsies are scheduled for Monday.

“Nothing is left of this [vehicle], only a black spot with a couple pieces of metal,” Low said. “They just had no chance.”