Desert Hot Springs Personal Injury Resources

Injury crashes in Desert Hot Springs

Source: CHP's statewide crash database (data.ca.gov), all reporting agencies. Desert Hot Springs averaged 113 injury or fatal crashes a year in 2022–2024, compared with 67 a year in 2016–2018 (+68%).

Year	Crashes with someone hurt or killed	People injured	People killed
2016	72	94	6
2017	68	88	2
2018	62	92	4
2019	Not shown: the State's 2019 file covers only January to April.
2020	69	98	9
2021	89	119	8
2022	127	172	8
2023	116	162	5
2024	96	136	7
2025 (may rise)	74	99	4
2026 (year to date)	23	28	1

What Desert Hot Springs's 2020–2024 crash reports show

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

Measure	Desert Hot Springs	Riverside County
Crashes with someone hurt or killed	497	51,948
Fatal crashes	35	1,545
A pedestrian was involved	64 (13%)	5%
A bicyclist was involved	12 (2%)	3%
Hit-and-run	55 (11%)	10%
DUI recorded as the main cause	37 (7%)	10%
After dark	182 (37%)	33%
On a freeway	2 (0%)	25%

Compared with the county as a whole, the category that stands out most in Desert Hot Springs's reports is a pedestrian was involved: 13% of the city's injury crashes, against 5% countywide.

Most common types of collision:

Broadside (T-bone): 37%
Rear-end: 18%
Vehicle and pedestrian: 13%

Most common primary causes recorded by officers:

Unsafe speed for conditions (Vehicle Code § 22350): 25%
Stop sign: not stopping (Vehicle Code § 22450): 11%
Stop sign: not yielding (Vehicle Code § 21802): 9%

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

Desert Hot Springs in the state's crash rankings (2023)

Rank 1 is the worst among cities of similar population [source]. Desert Hot Springs's worst category rank among cities of its size was speed-related crashes: 10 of 93. All 28 cities compared.

Category	Count and rank
Size group (population)	Group D (population 33,255) [source]
Killed or injured, all crashes	160 (rank 21/93) [source]
Alcohol-involved	19 (rank 24/93) [source]
Motorcycle	14 (rank 15/93) [source]
Pedestrian	12 (rank 31/93) [source]
Bicycle	3 (rank 80/93) [source]
Speed-related crashes	31 (rank 10/93) [source]
Hit-and-run crashes	10 (rank 31/93) [source]
Composite	rank 33/93 [source]

Local facts: Desert Hot Springs

Population	U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 population estimate for Desert Hot Springs city, CA: 34,009 (July 1, 2025). Estimates base (April 1, 2020): 32,528. [source]
Highways	The Desert Hot Springs General Plan (adopted July 2020) says the I-10 interchanges providing access to the city are at Indian Canyon Drive and Palm Drive. [source] The General Plan says State Route 62 runs north-south along the western side of Desert Hot Springs, with city access points including Indian Canyon Drive and Pierson Boulevard. [source]
Fire and paramedics	Fire and emergency medical services in Desert Hot Springs are provided through a cooperative agreement with CAL FIRE and the Riverside County Fire Department, from three fire stations plus the Fire Marshal's Office. [source] Fire stations in Desert Hot Springs: Station #37, 65958 Pierson Boulevard; Station #36, 11535 Karen Avenue; Station #98, 69111 Hacienda Avenue. [source] The city's Fire Department page directs fire incident report requests to CAL FIRE at (951) 943-4970 and ambulance medical-records requests to American Medical Response (AMR) at (866) 587-6274. [source]
Report a road hazard	Desert Hot Springs has an online "Report Issue: Pot Hole & Repair" form that asks for the pothole's description and location and accepts an optional photo. [source] The Desert Hot Springs Public Works Department maintains city streets and traffic signals and can be reached at (760) 329-6411 ext. 222 or PublicWorks@cityofdhs.org (11999 Palm Drive). [source]
City traffic safety	The Desert Hot Springs Police Department handles traffic enforcement and traffic collision investigation in the city; non-emergency dispatch is (760) 329-2904. [source] In November 2025 the California Office of Traffic Safety awarded $90,000 to the Desert Hot Springs Police Department for traffic-safety enforcement and education. [source] The Desert Hot Springs Police Department's California Office of Traffic Safety grant supports enforcement and education aimed at reducing serious injuries and deaths on the roads, and runs through September 2026. [source] The City of Desert Hot Springs is updating its Active Transportation Plan to improve safety and connectivity for people walking, biking, skating and scooting. [source]
Public transit	SunLine Transit Agency's FY27-29 Short Range Transit Plan lists SunBus Route 2 (Desert Hot Springs, Palm Springs and Cathedral City), Route 3 (Desert Hot Springs and Desert Edge) and Route 5 (Desert Hot Springs and Palm Desert) as serving the city. [source]
Also note	After Hurricane Hilary (August 2023) the City closed damaged sections of Dillon Road, Little Morongo Road and North Indian Canyon Drive, with preliminary repair costs estimated at $22,400,000. [source] City hiking trails and parks listed by the Recreation and Community Services Department include Swiss Canyon Trail, Long Canyon Trail and Mission Springs Park. [source]

Police and crash reports in Desert Hot Springs

Law enforcement	Desert Hot Springs has its own city police department, which investigates traffic collisions. [source]
Address	65950 Pierson Boulevard, Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240. [source]
Phone	Dispatch non-emergency (760) 329-2904. [source]
Also note	Police Records business hours: Monday-Thursday, 8:00 am-5:00 pm. [source]

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

Injury claims against the City of Desert Hot Springs

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

Filing office	City Clerk's Office. [source]
How to file	In person or by mail; include supporting information (estimates, photos, diagrams). [source]
Form	Claim for Money or Damages Against the City of Desert Hot Springs (PDF, 'updated 2026'). [source]
Form link	official link [source]
Address	City of Desert Hot Springs, 11999 Palm Drive, Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240. [source]
Phone	City Clerk: (760) 329-6411 ext. 107; email cityclerk@cityofdhs.org. [source]
Deadline	Six months for injury/death/personal property; one year for other claims (form). [source]
After you file	An outside adjuster handles the claim and advises approval or denial once it has the needed information. [source]
Also note	Office hours Mon-Thurs 7:00 am - 6:00 pm; closed Fri-Sun. [source]

Hurt in Desert Hot Springs?

Tell us what happened in Desert Hot Springs. 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 Desert Hot Springs: 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 Desert Hot Springs's reported crashes: Desert Regional Medical Center (Level I (adult), Palm Springs) 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 Desert Hot Springs to: What to do after a dog bite →

Who handles it	City of Desert Hot Springs Animal Care and Control (run by the City since 2017), 65810 Hacienda Ave., Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240. [source]
Phone	(760) 329-6411 ext. 450. [source]
After hours	Outside operating hours: Non-Emergency Police Dispatch, (760) 329-2904, option 2. If an animal is threatening your safety at any time, call 911. [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 Desert Hot Springs: local resources