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Injured in La Quinta: local resources
In 2024, CHP's statewide crash database recorded 136 crashes in La Quinta in which someone was hurt or killed, with 167 people injured and 5 killed. Crash reports on city streets come from the Riverside County Sheriff's Office, which provides the city's police services under contract. Injury claims against the City generally must be filed within six months.
Injury crashes in La Quinta
Source: CHP's statewide crash database (data.ca.gov), all reporting agencies. La Quinta averaged 135 injury or fatal crashes a year in 2022–2024, compared with 99 a year in 2016–2018 (+36%).
| Year | Crashes with someone hurt or killed | People injured | People killed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 113 | 174 | 1 |
| 2017 | 98 | 123 | 5 |
| 2018 | 86 | 109 | 3 |
| 2019 | Not shown: the State's 2019 file covers only January to April. | ||
| 2020 | 82 | 112 | 1 |
| 2021 | 111 | 140 | 3 |
| 2022 | 143 | 206 | 2 |
| 2023 | 125 | 169 | 2 |
| 2024 | 136 | 167 | 5 |
| 2025 (may rise) | 101 | 144 | 1 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 81 | 125 | 0 |
What La Quinta's 2020–2024 crash reports show
597 injury or fatal crashes over five years, compared with the whole county.
| Measure | La Quinta | Riverside County |
|---|---|---|
| Crashes with someone hurt or killed | 597 | 51,948 |
| Fatal crashes | 11 | 1,545 |
| A pedestrian was involved | 44 (7%) | 5% |
| A bicyclist was involved | 31 (5%) | 3% |
| Hit-and-run | 42 (7%) | 10% |
| DUI recorded as the main cause | 45 (8%) | 10% |
| After dark | 152 (25%) | 33% |
| On a freeway | 1 (0%) | 25% |
Compared with the county as a whole, the category that stands out most in La Quinta's reports is a bicyclist was involved: 5% of the city's injury crashes, against 3% countywide.
Most common types of collision:
- Broadside (T-bone): 35%
- Rear-end: 25%
- Hit an object: 13%
Most common primary causes recorded by officers:
- Unsafe speed for conditions (Vehicle Code § 22350): 20%
- Red light (Vehicle Code § 21453): 18%
- Unsafe turn or lane change (Vehicle Code § 22107): 11%
Counts are raw numbers, not rates. The primary cause is the officer's entry on the report, not a finding of fault. Open La Quinta in the crash explorer.
La Quinta in the state's crash rankings (2023)
Rank 1 is the worst among cities of similar population [source]. La Quinta's worst category rank among cities of its size was speed-related crashes: 24 of 93. All 28 cities compared.
| Category | Count and rank |
|---|---|
| Size group (population) | Group D (population 39,148) [source] |
| Killed or injured, all crashes | 147 (rank 50/93) [source] |
| Alcohol-involved | 13 (rank 52/93) [source] |
| Motorcycle | 6 (rank 70/93) [source] |
| Pedestrian | 1 (rank 88/93) [source] |
| Bicycle | 3 (rank 86/93) [source] |
| Speed-related crashes | 25 (rank 24/93) [source] |
| Hit-and-run crashes | 7 (rank 66/93) [source] |
| Composite | rank 50/93 [source] |
Local facts: La Quinta
| Population | U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 population estimate for La Quinta city, CA: 39,440 (July 1, 2025). Estimates base (April 1, 2020): 37,743. [source] |
|---|---|
| Highways | Highway 111 runs through La Quinta: on April 7, 2026 the City approved the Highway 111 Corridor Specific Plan covering about two miles of Highway 111 between Washington Street and Jefferson Street, including infrastructure and active-transportation improvements. [source] |
| Recent road projects | CVAG's June 2026 project status report lists the La Quinta-led Dune Palms Road Bridge over the Whitewater River as construction complete, with project closeout being finalized. [source] The regional transportation program (SCAG 2025 FTIP) describes the Dune Palms Road project as replacing the 3-lane low-water crossing with a 4-lane bridge over the Coachella Valley Stormwater Channel, with a listed project cost of $26,522 thousand (about $26.5 million). [source] The same CVAG report lists a La Quinta-led Avenue 50 Bridge over the La Quinta Evacuation Channel, still in the design (PS&E) phase in June 2026. [source] A CVAG-funded Avenue 50 widening (City of Indio as lead agency) calls for a four-lane boulevard with sidewalks and bike lanes on each side between Jefferson Street and Madison Street, where La Quinta lies on the south side of the road. [source] In February 2024, La Quinta's slurry seal project was replacing concrete and removing striping on La Fonda and Washington, and grading for a new bike lane on Monroe. [source] Dune Palms Road Bridge Improvement Project: a new 480-foot all-weather bridge carrying Dune Palms Road across the Coachella Valley Storm Water Channel, built to address flooding and debris on the roadway during storms; construction began January 30, 2023 (City of La Quinta newsletter, October 5, 2023). [source] Washington Street at Fred Waring Drive Triple Left Turn Project: a City of La Quinta CEQA exemption notice (September 28, 2020) describes adding third left-turn lanes on all approaches, road widening and rebuilt sidewalks and curb ramps at the intersection; the notice does not give a construction schedule. [source] Highway 111 Sidewalk Improvements: a City of La Quinta CEQA exemption notice describes replacing the 8-foot meandering sidewalk on the south side of Highway 111 between Adams Street and La Quinta Drive with a 10-foot curb-adjacent sidewalk; the notice does not give a construction schedule. [source] La Quinta Village Complete Streets road diet - completed October 2020; total cost $9,533,000, including $7,313,000 in state Active Transportation Program funds. Parts of Calle Tampico, Calle Sinaloa and Eisenhower Drive went from four travel lanes to two, with dedicated bike and golf cart lanes and roundabouts at five key intersections. [source] In its August 3, 2023 newsletter, the City reported pavement rehabilitation under way on Avenue 50 and Avenue 52, with the Avenue 50 contractor pulverizing and grinding the eastbound lanes. [source] |
| Police services | La Quinta contracts for police and fire services through the County of Riverside; the city is a contract city of the Riverside County Sheriff's Thermal Station, 86625 Airport Boulevard, Thermal (760-863-8990). [source] |
| Fire and paramedics | Riverside County Fire Department lists three stations in La Quinta: Station 32 Christopher Douglas (78-111 Avenue 52), Station 70 La Quinta PGA (54001 Madison Street) and Station 93 La Quinta North (44-555 Adams Street). [source] La Quinta shares the cost of a fire ladder truck company with Indio, Coachella and the County (12.5% La Quinta 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 | In 2019, La Quinta asked for a minor boundary change so CV Link could pass under Washington Street, letting cyclists and low-speed electric vehicles avoid the heavy traffic at Highway 111 and Washington Street; CVAG notes the west side of Washington Street there lies in Indian Wells, so the undercrossing was never built. [source] La Quinta reported in July 2023 that Phase 2 of the CV Sync signal project was installing new fiber and cameras on the Avenue 50, Avenue 48, Fred Waring Drive and Jefferson Street corridors in the city. [source] As part of the La Quinta Village road diet, the City installed 24 new accessible ramps, eight flashing-beacon crossings, 4,400 feet of sidewalks and lighting at five intersections; midblock crossings serve Civic Center Park, Old Town La Quinta and Benjamin Franklin Elementary School. [source] |
| Public transit | SunLine counts 52 bus stops in La Quinta, 35 of them (67%) with shelters. [source] SunLine's route table lists La Quinta among the cities served by SunBus Route 1EV (trunk line) and feeder Routes 6 and 7. [source] |
| Also note | CVAG describes La Quinta's current CV Link connection as an at-grade terminus on the east side of Washington Street near the ARCO station, on one of the region's busiest roads, with multiple turning movements and potential conflicts. [source] La Quinta's X Park is open noon to 9 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends; skateboards, bikes, scooters and rollerblades are welcome (City newsletter, April 10, 2025). [source] In October 2023, La Quinta reported that a contractor was installing a Public Safety Camera System at X Park, laying conduit and a fiber network. [source] CV Link, a planned 40-mile multi-modal pathway for cycling, walking, jogging and low-speed electric vehicles such as golf carts, runs about 2 miles through La Quinta along the south side of the Coachella Valley stormwater channel from Washington Street to Jefferson Street (City of La Quinta newsletter, January 11, 2024). [source] La Quinta's City newsletter directs residents to the Riverside County Sheriff at 760-836-3215, option 5, for non-emergency police services (April 10, 2025). [source] CVAG's Highway 111 Signal Signs Project put sequentially numbered signs on signal poles along Highway 111; signs 76 through 83 are at eight Highway 111 intersections in La Quinta, from Plaza La Quinta to Depot Drive, including Washington Street, Adams Street and Dune Palms Road. [source] On September 14, 2023, the City reported that Dune Palms Road was severely washed out by storm damage and unsafe for vehicles and pedestrians; the road was closed until further notice, and the City asked people to stay out of the channel. [source] On January 22, 2024, the City closed Avenue 50 at the wash, from Washington Street to Park Avenue, because of flooding. [source] |
Police and crash reports in La Quinta
| Law enforcement | La Quinta 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] |
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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 La Quinta
Generally due within six months (Gov. Code § 911.2).
| Form | The City Clerk's Department posts a downloadable 'Claim for Damages' form. [source] |
|---|---|
| Form link | Claim for Damages form (PDF). URL: official link [source] |
| Phone | City Clerk office phone (760) 777-7147; email CityClerkMail@LaQuintaCA.gov. [source] |
Hurt in La Quinta?
Tell us what happened in La Quinta. Our Riverside office handles injury cases across the county, and consultations are free, in English or Spanish.
Courts
Courthouses whose published case lists include La Quinta: 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 La Quinta'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 La Quinta to: What to do after a dog bite →
| County agreement | Riverside County Department of Animal Services provides animal field and shelter services to La Quinta under an agreement the Board of Supervisors approved through June 30, 2028. [source] |
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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.
Related pages
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