Woman Killed In Fiery Crash Identified

A 43-year-old woman killed in a fiery crash last week on Interstate 10 west of Washington Street in Palm Desert was identified today as a Thousand Palms resident.

Ines Tula Mendoza was pronounced dead at 3:58 a.m. on Tuesday, June 21 on eastbound I-10, just west of the Washington Street exit, according to the Riverside County Coroner’s Office.

Investigators believe Mendoza drove the wrong way on Washington Street, when she entered the freeway in wrong direction and slammed head-on with a big rig, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Joe Zagorski.

The wreck burst into flames, but the two occupants of the big rig were able to get out without injury, Zagorski said.

A determination of whether alcohol or drugs were involved would have to wait for the results of toxicology tests, he said.

A toxicology report is pending and could take four to eight weeks to get in, according to the coroner’s office.

The crash closed both sides of Interstate 10 last week, backing up traffic for miles.