Two people died early Friday morning in a crash in La Quinta, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department reported. The accident occurred on Washington Street, north of Calle Tampico, at an entrance to the Village Shopping Center, shortly after 2 a.m. The crash involved a Ford Focus and a Dodge Truck, the Desert Sun reported. The Ford was headed eastbound and pulling out of the shopping center when it was struck by the southbound Dodge truck.
Officers responding to the scene of the crash found two people trapped in a Ford Focus. The victims, Erica Alonzo, 27, and Eleuterio Valenzuela, 31, were both taken to local hospitals, where they died. The 24-year-old driver of the truck, a La Quinta resident, was not injured. The cause of the crash is still under investigation, and it was not clear who was at fault. Police said that drugs or alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the collision. Anyone who witnessed the crash to call Sgt. David Walton at (760) 863-8990.
Fault & Wrongful Death Liability Issues
Based on the news reports of this crash, it is not clear who was at fault. News reports did not say how fast the truck was travelling when the collision occurred early in the morning. If the driver of the truck was speeding, he may be at fault for this crash. While the investigation is ongoing, the families of the two victims in the Focus would be well-advised to speak to a California wrongful death lawyer about their legal rights. An attorney can advise the families of their best course of action handling communications with the insurance companies and fully explain their legal rights, options and obligations in a wrongful death action against the driver and any other at-fault parties.
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