A total of five people were hurt-- one of them burned-- Monday in a crash on Interstate 10 near Palm Desert, officials reported.
According to Cal Fire and CHP reports, a vehicle slammed into the center divider of the freeway around 10:30 a.m. in Thousand Palms. Two other cars were also involved.
It happened in the eastbound lanes, in between Monterey Drive and Bob Hope Avenue. Fire reports indicated one of the vehicles caught fire, and that its occupant was transported to a local hospital for treatment of moderate burn injuries.
Three people were transported to a hospital with minor injuries and another person, who also had minor injuries, declined to be transported for medical treatment, Riverside County Fire Department spokeswoman Jody Hagemann said.
California Highway Patrol logs indicated that the freeway was partially shut down for a couple hours while emergency crews tended to the injured, and while the wreckage was cleared.
The cause of the crash was under investigation.
