Blythe Personal Injury Resources

Injury crashes in Blythe

Source: CHP's statewide crash database (data.ca.gov), all reporting agencies. Blythe averaged 14 injury or fatal crashes a year in 2022–2024, compared with 10 a year in 2016–2018 (+39%).

Year	Crashes with someone hurt or killed	People injured	People killed
2016	13	12	4
2017	9	9	1
2018	9	8	3
2019	Not shown: the State's 2019 file covers only January to April.
2020	13	12	3
2021	17	22	5
2022	10	17	1
2023	17	26	4
2024	16	22	3
2025 (may rise)	23	28	1
2026 (year to date)	15	21	0

What Blythe's 2020–2024 crash reports show

73 injury or fatal crashes over five years, compared with the whole county. These are small numbers, so a few crashes can move a share a lot.

Measure	Blythe	Riverside County
Crashes with someone hurt or killed	73	51,948
Fatal crashes	16	1,545
A pedestrian was involved	5 (7%)	5%
A bicyclist was involved	0 (0%)	3%
Hit-and-run	5 (7%)	10%
DUI recorded as the main cause	7 (10%)	10%
After dark	35 (48%)	33%
On a freeway	64 (88%)	25%

Compared with the county as a whole, the category that stands out most in Blythe's reports is on a freeway: 88% of the city's injury crashes, against 25% countywide.

Most common types of collision:

Rear-end: 29%
Rollover: 22%
Hit an object: 19%

Most common primary causes recorded by officers:

Unsafe turn or lane change (Vehicle Code § 22107): 38%
Unsafe speed for conditions (Vehicle Code § 22350): 25%
Driving under the influence (Vehicle Code § 23152): 10%

Counts are raw numbers, not rates. The primary cause is the officer's entry on the report, not a finding of fault. Open Blythe in the crash explorer.

Blythe in the state's crash rankings (2023)

Rank 1 is the worst among cities of similar population [source]. Blythe's worst category rank among cities of its size was pedestrian: 52 of 103. All 28 cities compared.

Category	Count and rank
Size group (population)	Group E (population 17,447) [source]
Killed or injured, all crashes	3 (rank 96/103) [source]
Alcohol-involved	2 (rank 80/103) [source]
Motorcycle	2 (rank 62/103) [source]
Pedestrian	3 (rank 52/103) [source]
Bicycle	0 (rank 97/103) [source]
Speed-related crashes	0 (rank 102/103) [source]
Hit-and-run crashes	0 (rank 99/103) [source]
Composite	rank 97/103 [source]

Local facts: Blythe

Population	U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 population estimate for Blythe city, CA: 15,042 (July 1, 2025). Estimates base (April 1, 2020): 18,318. [source]
Highways	The City of Blythe General Plan 2025 Program EIR (traffic and circulation chapter, January 2007) states that Blythe is located along Interstate 10 (I-10), an east-west freeway connecting to Arizona to the east and the Los Angeles area to the west. [source] The same 2007 EIR lists seven freeway interchanges in the Blythe planning area, including Neighbours Boulevard (SR-78, the main route to the Imperial Valley), Lovekin Boulevard, Seventh Street (central Blythe) and Intake Boulevard (U.S. 95). [source]
Emergency hospitals	Palo Verde Hospital, 250 N First Street, Blythe, CA 92225, is located in the city; its contact page lists an Emergency Room line at 760-921-5235. [source] Palo Verde Hospital's department listing states that its Emergency Room is open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week (phone 760-922-4115). [source] On September 2, 2026, Palo Verde Hospital announced full three-year national accreditation from DNV Healthcare as a Critical Access Hospital - the first earned under a Management Services Agreement between the Palo Verde Healthcare District and the County of Riverside, which brought the Riverside University Health System (RUHS) team on site in February. [source]
Recent road projects	Caltrans I-10 Blythe Pavement Rehabilitation: a $241 million pavement, beautification and safety project on I-10 in and near Blythe, including concrete pavement rehabilitation of 88 lane miles, ramps and shoulders and 11,950 linear feet of new guardrail. Caltrans reports work is continuing and expected to be completed by winter 2026. [source]
Fire and paramedics	The City of Blythe staff directory lists a Volunteer Fire Department (On Call) at (760) 922-6117. [source] Riverside County Fire Department lists Station 43 (Blythe) at 140 West Barnard Street, Blythe, and Station 45 (Blythe Air Base) at 17280 W. Hobson Way, Blythe, both in Battalion 8. [source]
Report a road hazard	Blythe residents can request Public Works service in person at the Public Works office, 440 South Main Street, by phone at (760) 922-6611, or through the City's online Department of Public Works Service Request form, whose street categories include potholes, faded road striping, street signs, traffic signs and traffic signals. [source] The same Blythe form directs residents to report street light outages to Southern California Edison and to dial 911 for police emergencies. [source]
Public transit	RidePV, operated by the Palo Verde Valley Transit Agency, is the public transit operator serving the City of Blythe and the unincorporated Palo Verde Valley; it runs Routes 1 Blue, 2 Gold, 3 Red, 4 Green, 5 Silver and 6 Wellness Express (general information: (760) 922-1140). [source]
Also note	Blythe's Street Maintenance Department handles street sweeping, striping, sign maintenance, storm cleanup, pothole patching, crack filling, small street repairs, traffic control and accident clean-up. [source] Riverside County's airport land use compatibility background data (October 2004) describes Blythe Airport as about 6 miles west of the Blythe city center, owned by Riverside County and leased to the City of Blythe. [source]

Police and crash reports in Blythe

Law enforcement	Blythe has its own city police department (city site lists the department and its policy manual). [source]
Address	Police Department physical address: 240 N Spring Street, Blythe, CA 92225. [source]
Phone	Police Department phone (760) 922-6111. [source]
Also note	General CITY records FAQ (not specific to police or collision reports): Request for Public Records form, 10 working days, $0.30/page hard copy. [source]

Freeway and state highway crashes: CHP.

Injury claims against the City of Blythe

Generally due within six months (Gov. Code § 911.2).

Filing office	City Clerk. [source]
How to file	Deliver in person or mail the claim form to the City Clerk. [source]
Form	Claim for Money or Damages Against the City of Blythe (PDF, file named 'Claim for Damages Form 2023'). [source]
Form link	official link [source]
Address	City Clerk, City of Blythe, 235 N. Broadway, Blythe, CA 92225. [source]
Deadline	Injury, death, or personal-property claims: within six months after accrual; other claims: within one year (Gov. Code 911.2). [source]

Hurt in Blythe?

Tell us what happened in Blythe. Our Riverside office handles injury cases across the county, and consultations are free, in English or Spanish.

Call (951) 848-5376 Send a message → · Office details

Courts

Courthouses whose published case lists include Blythe: Palm Springs Courthouse (unlimited civil) [source]; Blythe Courthouse (limited civil and small claims) [source]. Addresses, fees and filing rules →

Nearest trauma centers

By straight-line distance from the center of Blythe's reported crashes: JFK Memorial Hospital (Level IV (adult), Indio) and Eisenhower Health (Eisenhower Medical Center) (Level IV (adult), Rancho Mirage). In an emergency, call 911.

Dog bites and animal control

Report a dog bite or a dangerous animal in Blythe to: What to do after a dog bite →

Who handles it	City of Blythe Police Department Animal Control, 240 N. Spring St., Blythe, CA 92225. [source]
Phone	(760) 922-6111. [source]
County agreement	Riverside County Department of Animal Services provides animal shelter services only to Blythe under an agreement the Board of Supervisors approved through June 30, 2028. [source]

Guides that mention Blythe

Every fact on this page links to the official source it came from. We checked each one in September 2026. Agencies change fees and procedures, so confirm with the agency before you go. How we research.

Injured in Blythe: local resources