Fatality On I-10 Offramp In Beaumont Due To Medical Emergency

BEAUMONT, CA — One person died Tuesday afternoon in Beaumont at the Oak Valley Parkway offramp from eastbound Interstate 10, but there was no crash.

The incident was reported at 2:05 p.m. by the California Highway Patrol.

A person suffered a medical emergency and was pronounced dead at the scene; no vehicles were involved, according to the CHP.

"He was a passenger in a vehicle. He suffered some sort of medical emergency and 911 was called," CHP Officer Matt Napier confirmed. "Unfortunately, it happened right there on the offramp."

According to a report from City News Service, the man was a 78-year-old Cathedral City resident who went to get a COVID-19 vaccine at an area Veterans Health Administration hospital.

The septuagenarian and another person were en route home when their car broke down near Calimesa Boulevard. They called for a tow truck, which picked them up and continued eastbound toward the Coachella Valley, according to City News Service.

While in transit on the I-10, the victim, who fell asleep earlier in the trip, could not be awakened, spurring the tow truck driver to pull over at Oak Valley Parkway, according to the City News Report.

Several first-responders were at the scene while the coroner was en route.

The name of the deceased has not been released.