Coachella Personal Injury Resources

Injury crashes in Coachella

Source: CHP's statewide crash database (data.ca.gov), all reporting agencies. Coachella averaged 115 injury or fatal crashes a year in 2022–2024, compared with 90 a year in 2016–2018 (+28%).

Year	Crashes with someone hurt or killed	People injured	People killed
2016	114	166	7
2017	85	125	3
2018	71	107	3
2019	Not shown: the State's 2019 file covers only January to April.
2020	61	81	2
2021	95	118	5
2022	112	156	1
2023	103	134	5
2024	130	197	6
2025 (may rise)	119	159	0
2026 (year to date)	70	92	2

What Coachella's 2020–2024 crash reports show

501 injury or fatal crashes over five years, compared with the whole county.

Measure	Coachella	Riverside County
Crashes with someone hurt or killed	501	51,948
Fatal crashes	18	1,545
A pedestrian was involved	32 (6%)	5%
A bicyclist was involved	28 (6%)	3%
Hit-and-run	72 (14%)	10%
DUI recorded as the main cause	50 (10%)	10%
After dark	180 (36%)	33%
On a freeway	14 (3%)	25%

Compared with the county as a whole, the category that stands out most in Coachella's reports is a bicyclist was involved: 6% of the city's injury crashes, against 3% countywide.

Most common types of collision:

Broadside (T-bone): 38%
Rear-end: 28%
Hit an object: 10%

Most common primary causes recorded by officers:

Unsafe speed for conditions (Vehicle Code § 22350): 24%
Red light (Vehicle Code § 21453): 13%
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 Coachella in the crash explorer.

Coachella in the state's crash rankings (2023)

Rank 1 is the worst among cities of similar population [source]. Coachella's worst category rank among cities of its size was motorcycle: 20 of 93. All 28 cities compared.

Category	Count and rank
Size group (population)	Group D (population 44,050) [source]
Killed or injured, all crashes	126 (rank 54/93) [source]
Alcohol-involved	24 (rank 25/93) [source]
Motorcycle	10 (rank 20/93) [source]
Pedestrian	3 (rank 85/93) [source]
Bicycle	9 (rank 43/93) [source]
Speed-related crashes	24 (rank 29/93) [source]
Hit-and-run crashes	13 (rank 29/93) [source]
Composite	rank 12/93 [source]

Local facts: Coachella

Population	U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 population estimate for Coachella city, CA: 45,411 (July 1, 2025). Estimates base (April 1, 2020): 41,934. [source]
Highways	Coachella's 2024 Local Road Safety Plan references the SR-86S Expressway in the city, running from Dillon Road to Airport Boulevard at the south city limit (listed as the route of a proposed Class III bike route). [source]
Recent road projects	Coachella's May 2025 speed hump report recommended a four-way stop at Newport Street and Capitola Avenue in the Aventine community, gapped speed humps next to the pocket park on Capitola Avenue, two on Calle Leandro, one on Las Lunas Avenue, and five in the Bellissima community (Modena Terrace, Siena Lane, Cortina Place, Torino Place and Monza Lane). [source] Coachella's 2022 Pedestrian and Road Safety Improvements (City Project ST-134) added speed humps, striping and signage, pedestrian refuge islands and flashing beacons. A staff report dated April 26, 2023 recommended accepting the work as complete at a final cost of $1,567,375.48, paid with SB 1 and Street DIF funds. [source] In September 2023, Coachella staff recommended paying Heptagon Seven $47,300 to prepare final plans for a roundabout at Avenue 53 and Calle Empalme, next to the new Bellissima homes and the Avenue 53 tot lot, to add safe crossings and calm neighborhood traffic. This is a design contract; no construction date was stated. [source] Coachella's $22,125,000 Transformative Climate Communities grant (agreement signed February 10, 2025) includes an Active Transportation project (City Project ST-143) to add Class II bike lanes, sidewalks and landscaping in parts of the city, plus a bicycle repair kiosk at Sierra Vista Park; design work was under way in September 2026. [source] CVAG's June 2026 project status report lists the Coachella-led Avenue 50 Bridge over the Whitewater River with design and right-of-way complete and construction anticipated in the third quarter of 2026; the Avenue 50 interchange at I-10 is in final design. [source] I-10/Avenue 50 New Interchange Project: a CEQA Notice of Determination (approved February 1, 2018, California Transportation Commission as responsible agency) covers constructing a new interchange on I-10 at Avenue 50 in Coachella. The notice gives no construction dates. [source] Interchange at State Route 86 on Avenue 50 (City Project ST-81): the City Council's May 14, 2025 agenda included a $5,375,000 amendment to the reimbursement agreement with the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) for plans, specifications, estimates and right-of-way activities - a design and right-of-way phase, not a scheduled construction project. [source] Avenue 50 Bridge over the Coachella Valley Stormwater Channel (City Project ST-69): widens Avenue 50 from two lanes to a six-lane major arterial and builds a new bridge replacing the existing low-water crossing, with a new traffic signal, street lighting and pedestrian improvements. Caltrans authorized the construction phase in May 2026, and staff recommended a $48,709,821.10 construction contract with Riverside Construction Company for the City Council's September 21, 2026 meeting. [source] Avenue 50 Widening: per a July 22, 2026 City staff report, the first phase (Avenue 50 from La Colonia to Calhoun Street and from Van Buren Street to Pavon Palma) has been completed; phase two will cover Pavon Palma to Cesar Chavez, completing two traffic lanes in each direction with pedestrian, bicycle and drainage facilities. [source] Avenue 50 Median Lighting Rehabilitation (Van Buren Street to Mariposa Pointe, City Project ST-93): a $72,500 contract with Rudy's Electric was authorized January 28, 2026, and on July 22, 2026 staff recommended accepting the work as complete and filing a Notice of Completion. [source] Bella Canto neighborhood Pavement Rehabilitation Project (City Project ST-132): construction contract with Vance Corporation authorized February 25, 2026; on May 13, 2026 staff recommended accepting it as complete, with a final cost of $441,818.56 in Measure A funds. [source]
Fire and paramedics	On February 25, 2025, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved a cooperative agreement under which the Riverside County Fire Department provides fire protection, fire prevention, rescue and medical emergency services to the City of Coachella for July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2029; the City added a Medic Squad of three Fire Apparatus Engineers and three Firefighter Paramedics. [source] Riverside County Fire Department lists Station 79 (Coachella) at 1377 6th Street, Coachella. [source] Coachella shares the cost of a fire ladder truck company with Indio, La Quinta and the County (12.5% Coachella share); the truck is owned by the City of Indio and housed there (City of Indio staff report, May 15, 2024). [source]
City traffic safety	A City of Coachella traffic memorandum (October 11, 2023, Resolution 2023-67) recommended cutting the speed limit on Avenue 49 between Grapefruit Boulevard and Van Buren Street from 40 mph to 25 mph for safer pedestrian crossings, after residents petitioned for a mid-block crosswalk because of speeding. [source] In October 2023, Coachella staff recommended making Avenue 51 at Mecca Street a three-way stop: the intersection had three documented traffic incidents in a year (the latest, on September 7, 2023, involved a motorcycle and a car), residents submitted a 126-signature petition, a daycare sits on the southeast corner and Bagdouma Park is on the south side of Avenue 51. [source] On May 14, 2025, Coachella's City Council was asked to adopt the City's first Speed Hump Policies, Guidelines and Procedures (Resolution 2025-20). Because CAL FIRE raised concerns about emergency response times, the policy uses gapped "Type II" speed humps that emergency vehicles can pass over, and calls for Fire Marshal review before any installation. [source] Under Coachella's proposed speed hump guidelines, a street qualifies only if it is a local residential street segment at least 500 feet long with a legal speed limit of 25 mph or less, no wider than 40 feet, and carrying no more than 1,999 vehicles on an average weekday. [source] Coachella lists traffic-calming measures it has already used: median refuge islands on Avenues 52 and 51, a median on Avenue 53, reflective delineators on Avenue 53 and Van Buren Street, high-visibility crosswalks on Grapefruit, rumble strips on Van Buren, a speed limit reduction on Avenue 49, and a road diet narrowing intersections in the Pueblo Viejo District. [source] Coachella reported on May 28, 2025 that it had been awarded state and federal funding for three Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP Cycle 12) projects, totaling $3,423,700: $3,041,058 in grant funds and a $382,642 local match. [source] Coachella has 27 signalized intersections and 10 flashing beacon crossings. In January 2025, staff recommended a maintenance and on-call contract for all of them with Yunex LLC, up to $300,000 over three years (February 1, 2025 to January 31, 2028). [source] Coachella's 2024 Local Road Safety Plan was presented to the City Council for adoption by Resolution 2025-01 on January 22, 2025; it was funded by a $44,000 state allocation plus a $16,000 local match and uses the four E's of safety (Engineering, Enforcement, Education and Emergency Response). [source] Coachella's Local Road Safety Plan reports 12 fatal crashes and 51 suspected serious injury crashes in the city during its 2018-2023 study period. [source] The plan counts 28 pedestrian-involved crashes in 2018-2023, including 4 fatal and 7 serious injury crashes; 38.6% of all crashes occurred at night or at dusk/dawn, and 6.4% at night where there were no streetlights. [source] The plan's four emphasis areas are occupant protection, impaired driving, intersection improvements and aggressive driving. [source]
Also note	Coachella's citywide streetlight upgrade uses LED fixtures with smart nodes that tell City staff in real time when a fixture fails, so repairs can be made faster. In April 2025, staff asked to add 194 more LED streetlight fixtures with smart controls for $145,000. [source]

Police and crash reports in Coachella

Law enforcement	Coachella contracts with the Riverside County Sheriff for police services. [source]

Sheriff station	Thermal Station 86625 Airport Boulevard, Thermal, CA 92274 [source] 760-863-8990 [source]

How to request a Sheriff crash report →

Freeway and state highway crashes: CHP, CHP (630) Indio Area ((760) 772-5300).

Injury claims against the City of Coachella

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

Form	City of Coachella Claim Form (Claim for Money or Damages Against the City of Coachella). [source]
Form link	official link [source]
Phone	City Clerk: (760) 398-3502; email cityclerk@coachella.org. [source]
Also note	Office hours 7:00am-6:00pm Monday-Thursday, closed Fridays. [source]

Hurt in Coachella?

Tell us what happened in Coachella. 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 Coachella: Palm Springs Courthouse (limited civil and small claims, unlimited civil) [source]. Addresses, fees and filing rules →

Nearest trauma centers

By straight-line distance from the center of Coachella'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 Coachella to: What to do after a dog bite →

County agreement	Riverside County Department of Animal Services provides animal field and shelter services to Coachella under an agreement the Board of Supervisors approved through June 30, 2028. [source]

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 Coachella: local resources