Indian Wells Personal Injury Resources

Injury crashes in Indian Wells

Source: CHP's statewide crash database (data.ca.gov), all reporting agencies. Indian Wells averaged 30 injury or fatal crashes a year in 2022–2024, compared with 35 a year in 2016–2018 (-14%).

Year	Crashes with someone hurt or killed	People injured	People killed
2016	38	46	0
2017	26	37	0
2018	40	54	0
2019	Not shown: the State's 2019 file covers only January to April.
2020	18	19	1
2021	15	17	1
2022	28	54	0
2023	35	49	0
2024	26	40	0
2025 (may rise)	33	50	0
2026 (year to date)	22	36	0

What Indian Wells's 2020–2024 crash reports show

122 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	Indian Wells	Riverside County
Crashes with someone hurt or killed	122	51,948
Fatal crashes	2	1,545
A pedestrian was involved	2 (2%)	5%
A bicyclist was involved	1 (1%)	3%
Hit-and-run	5 (4%)	10%
DUI recorded as the main cause	8 (7%)	10%
After dark	29 (24%)	33%
On a freeway	0 (0%)	25%

Most common types of collision:

Rear-end: 48%
Broadside (T-bone): 20%
Hit an object: 16%

Most common primary causes recorded by officers:

Unsafe speed for conditions (Vehicle Code § 22350): 43%
Red light (Vehicle Code § 21453): 16%
Not staying in the lane (Vehicle Code § 21658): 8%

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

Indian Wells in the state's crash rankings (2023)

Rank 1 is the worst among cities of similar population [source]. Indian Wells's worst category rank among cities of its size was speed-related crashes: 2 of 74. All 28 cities compared.

Category	Count and rank
Size group (population)	Group F (population 4,859) [source]
Killed or injured, all crashes	48 (rank 4/74) [source]
Alcohol-involved	5 (rank 12/74) [source]
Motorcycle	0 (rank 74/74) [source]
Pedestrian	0 (rank 62/74) [source]
Bicycle	1 (rank 33/74) [source]
Speed-related crashes	15 (rank 2/74) [source]
Hit-and-run crashes	1 (rank 27/74) [source]
Composite	rank 6/74 [source]

Local facts: Indian Wells

Population	U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 population estimate for Indian Wells city, CA: 4,992 (July 1, 2025). Estimates base (April 1, 2020): 4,767. [source]
Highways	Indian Wells' zoning code (Chapter 21.45) sets a Highway 111 Overlay Zone along the city's Highway 111 corridor and calls for circulation improvements there, such as pedestrian paths, golf cart paths, bicycle paths, bus stops, and intersection and signalization improvements. [source]
Recent road projects	The Indian Wells City Council's January 18, 2024 agenda recommended accepting the City's Highway 111 Rehabilitation project as complete. [source] Safer Streets Indian Wells reached 30% design plans, which went to the City Council for approval on April 16, 2026. [source] On June 18, 2026, Indian Wells staff recommended awarding the Local Roads Paving Phase 5 construction contract to Onyx Paving Company, Inc. for $910,800. [source]
Police services	Indian Wells contracts with the Riverside County Sheriff for police services, which come from the Sheriff's Palm Desert Station at 73705 Gerald Ford Drive, Palm Desert (760-836-1600). [source]
Fire and paramedics	Riverside County Fire Station 55 (Indian Wells, Battalion 12) is at 44900 El Dorado Drive, Indian Wells, (760) 568-5252. [source]
City traffic safety	The same January 18, 2024 agenda included a $40,000 appropriation from the Capital Improvement Fund for Indian Wells to join a pilot safety program for the traffic signals along Fred Waring Drive. [source] On March 7, 2024, the Indian Wells City Council was asked to consider temporary or permanent signs to expand the City's existing noise and speed enforcement initiatives. [source] Indian Wells' Comprehensive Traffic Safety Action Plan went to the City Council for approval by resolution on September 5, 2024, with a Complete Streets Safety Assessment by UC Berkeley's SafeTREC attached. [source] Indian Wells' Safer Streets program covers four corridors: Fairway Drive, Eldorado Drive, Cook Street and Rancho Palmeras. On June 10, 2025, the Council was asked to vote on design improvements for each corridor and to let staff seek a design consultant. [source] On December 4, 2025, the Indian Wells City Council reviewed the results of a speed and volume study on the four Safer Streets corridors to decide whether to install speed cushions or other traffic-calming measures. [source] CVAG reports that the Highway 111 and Washington Street intersection has become the route cyclists and pedestrians use between La Quinta and Indian Wells, with elevated crash risk; in 2019 the Indian Wells City Council voted 3-2 to deny La Quinta's boundary request that would have made room for a CV Link undercrossing at Washington Street. [source] Indian Wells Municipal Code § 11.20.020 provides that the prima facie speed limit on the portions of the State Highway within the city is determined by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans); the City Council may set limits on local streets by resolution, based on traffic engineering survey data or a Council determination. [source] CVAG reported in February 2024 that it first used Regional Traffic Management Center technology during the 2023 BNP Paribas tennis tournament, coordinating with regional partners such as the City of Indian Wells and the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. [source] Indian Wells Municipal Code § 11.16.060 lets the City's Traffic Engineer designate crosswalks and requires them wherever the Traffic Engineer finds a particular need; under § 11.16.030, stop signs at local street intersections are designated by City Council resolution. [source]
Public transit	SunLine's bus stop inventory counts 15 bus stops in Indian Wells, 13 of them (87%) with shelters. [source]
Also note	The same June 18, 2026 agenda included a $50,000 appropriation to buy a dedicated public safety traffic control trailer for Indian Wells. [source] Indian Wells' Measure H, passed in November 2016, requires another public vote before the City Council can allow CV Link (the valley-wide path for walkers, cyclists and golf carts) inside the city; CVAG's May 2017 route left Indian Wells out. [source] A 2026 CVAG consultant analysis ranked 10 possible CV Link options through Indian Wells; the two top-ranked routes, along the Whitewater River (about $16.9 million) and along Highway 111 (about $7.09 million), were opposed by the Indian Wells City Council in 2015. [source] Indian Wells Municipal Code § 11.62.020 (Ord. 718, 2019) prohibits shared mobility devices - rental electric scooters, bicycles, electric bicycles and similar devices - within the city, and the City may remove and impound devices found in the public right-of-way. [source] Indian Wells Municipal Code Chapter 11.56 makes it unlawful to ride a bicycle on any sidewalk that is not part of a designated, marked bicycle route, and requires bicyclists on shared pedestrian-bicycle facilities to yield to pedestrians. [source] Indian Wells Municipal Code § 11.60.010 prohibits roller skates, rollerblades, skateboards and similar devices on sidewalks or public plazas in any business district and on inclined ramps or surfaces of City-owned property. [source] CVAG's Highway 111 Signal Signs Project put sequentially numbered signs on signal poles along Highway 111 to help visitors find their way; signs 68 through 75 are at eight Highway 111 intersections in Indian Wells, from Village Center Drive to Mountain Cove Drive. [source] Under Indian Wells Municipal Code Chapter 11.25, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department acts as the Indian Wells Police Department, and victims of stolen or embezzled vehicles are exempt from the City's vehicle impound administrative fee. [source]

Police and crash reports in Indian Wells

Law enforcement	Indian Wells contracts with the Riverside County Sheriff for police services. [source]
Phone	Palm Desert Station handles records requests and copies of past reports: (760) 836-1600, 8-5 Mon-Fri. [source]

Sheriff station	Palm Desert Station 73705 Gerald Ford Drive, Palm Desert, CA 92211 [source] 760-836-1600 [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 Indian Wells

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

Form	City of Indian Wells Claim for Damages Form (PDF; pages 2-3 are a scanned 'Form Cont. 100-A (Rev. 7/01)'). [source]
Form link	official link [source]

Hurt in Indian Wells?

Tell us what happened in Indian Wells. 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 Indian Wells: 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 Indian Wells's reported crashes: Eisenhower Health (Eisenhower Medical Center) (Level IV (adult), Rancho Mirage) and JFK Memorial Hospital (Level IV (adult), Indio). In an emergency, call 911.

Dog bites and animal control

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

County agreement	Riverside County Department of Animal Services provides animal field and shelter services to Indian Wells 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 Indian Wells: local resources