Coachella 2019 Weekend One - Sunday
photo by Miranda McDonald

CA woman killed in car accident while driving to Coachella

A 21-year-old woman was killed in a car accident while driving to Coachella on her birthday on Saturday (4/20), Desert Sun reports. Vanessa Suarez of Gardena, CA, was allegedly using her cellphone while driving on Highway 60 near Jack Rabbit Trail when her car, a 2015 Jeep Patriot, hit the median and overturned. She was taken to Riverside University Health System Medical Center by paramedics, and pronounced dead at 8:22 p.m.

A 20-year-old woman also riding in the car suffered minor injuries, but was able to climb out of the wreckage of the accident.

Investigators told Desert Sun that “neither excessive speed, drugs nor alcohol” were contributing factors to the crash. It is still being investigated.

There was one other fatality associated with the 2019 edition of Coachella: Christopher Griffin, a 49-year-old from San Diego, CA, who was working on setting up a stage at weekend one of the festival when he fell 50-60 feet. His accident is under investigation by the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration.