La Quinta, California — A tragic multi-vehicle crash on Tuesday night resulted in the deaths of three individuals and left one person with serious injuries. The collision, involving a pickup truck, two motorcycles, and a pedestrian, occurred around 9:20 PM at Highway 111 and Simon Drive.
Riverside Sheriff’s Thermal Station deputies arrived to find a white Chevrolet pickup truck and two motorcycles on Highway 111. CalFire and AMR personnel provided emergency medical care at the scene, but three crash victims were pronounced dead.
Preliminary investigations by the La Quinta Traffic Collision Reconstruction Team revealed that the incident began when two motorcycles traveling eastbound on Highway 111 struck a pedestrian. One motorcyclist was ejected into the westbound lanes, where a westbound Chevrolet pickup hit the motorcycle, causing the truck to veer into the median and strike two people assisting the injured motorcyclist.
The deceased were identified as Maria Reyes, 33, of La Quinta, Katherine Vogts, 47, of Palm Desert, and Brandt Celli, 26, of Indio. Vogts, a nurse, had stopped to help after witnessing the crash. “There has been an accident, I have to go save people,” she told her niece moments before being fatally struck while administering CPR.
The fourth victim sustained significant injuries and was transported to a local hospital. The pickup driver remained on scene and cooperated with investigators, who do not suspect drugs or alcohol played a role in the collision. The road was cleared by 5:45 AM on Wednesday, reopening Highway 111 in both directions.
Anyone with information about the crash is encouraged to contact Deputy K. Moore at the Thermal Sheriff’s Station at (760) 863-8990 or call anonymously at (760) 341-STOP (7867).
