Details Released In Fatal Fiery Crash At Banning Inspection Facility

BANNING, CA — The California Highway Patrol released details Tuesday about a fiery crash earlier this month at the Desert Hills Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Facility in Banning that left a 22-year-old Indio man dead.

At about 2:30 a.m. Nov. 19, Bernardo Fajardo was heading west on Interstate 10 "at a high rate of speed" when he drove into the enforcement facility's truck lanes, just west of the Malki Road onramp, according to the CHP.

Fajardo was behind the wheel of a 2023 Kia and ahead of him was a 2024 Peterbilt semi carrying a fuel tanker. The big rig's driver, a 33-year-old Colton man, was yielding into the facility when Fajardo slammed into the tanker's rear.

The force of the impact caused the Kia to burst into flames, according to the CHP.

"CHP officers at the facility immediately responded and attempted to extinguish the flames," the CHP reported.

CHP officers removed the unresponsive Fajardo from the burning wreckage but he was pronounced dead at the scene by a Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department crew.

The trucker was not injured.