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Coachella, CA

A driver was killed when he rear-ended a big rig on Interstate 10 in Coachella Thursday. The crash happened at 5:04 a.m. on westbound Interstate 10, east of Dillon Road, the California Highway Patrol reported.

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The victim, a 23-year-old Indio man identified as Frank Mendez, was driving a 2011 Ford F-350 pickup truck when for unknown reasons his truck struck the back of a 2003 Sterling big rig in the right two lanes of the freeway, CHP Officer Mike Radford said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

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The driver of the big rig, 31-year-old Jannete Nunez of Zapata, Texas, was not injured in the crash. There were no passengers in either truck.

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The cause of the crash remained under investigation, but Radford said that both drivers were wearing seatbelts and that alcohol and drugs did not appear to be contributing factors.

Man Killed After Rear Ending Big Rig in Coachella Identified