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Injured in Palm Desert: local resources
In 2024, CHP's statewide crash database recorded 241 crashes in Palm Desert in which someone was hurt or killed, with 329 people injured and 6 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 Palm Desert
Source: CHP's statewide crash database (data.ca.gov), all reporting agencies. Palm Desert averaged 248 injury or fatal crashes a year in 2022–2024, compared with 181 a year in 2016–2018 (+37%).
| Year | Crashes with someone hurt or killed | People injured | People killed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 195 | 261 | 7 |
| 2017 | 172 | 255 | 2 |
| 2018 | 175 | 249 | 5 |
| 2019 | Not shown: the State's 2019 file covers only January to April. | ||
| 2020 | 146 | 201 | 1 |
| 2021 | 260 | 357 | 5 |
| 2022 | 261 | 391 | 4 |
| 2023 | 242 | 329 | 9 |
| 2024 | 241 | 329 | 6 |
| 2025 (may rise) | 213 | 306 | 2 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 122 | 178 | 3 |
What Palm Desert's 2020–2024 crash reports show
1,150 injury or fatal crashes over five years, compared with the whole county.
| Measure | Palm Desert | Riverside County |
|---|---|---|
| Crashes with someone hurt or killed | 1,150 | 51,948 |
| Fatal crashes | 21 | 1,545 |
| A pedestrian was involved | 63 (5%) | 5% |
| A bicyclist was involved | 51 (4%) | 3% |
| Hit-and-run | 81 (7%) | 10% |
| DUI recorded as the main cause | 93 (8%) | 10% |
| After dark | 236 (21%) | 33% |
| On a freeway | 5 (0%) | 25% |
Compared with the county as a whole, the category that stands out most in Palm Desert's reports is a bicyclist was involved: 4% of the city's injury crashes, against 3% countywide.
Most common types of collision:
- Rear-end: 34%
- Broadside (T-bone): 34%
- Hit an object: 12%
Most common primary causes recorded by officers:
- Unsafe speed for conditions (Vehicle Code § 22350): 29%
- Red light (Vehicle Code § 21453): 17%
- Driving under the influence (Vehicle Code § 23152): 8%
Counts are raw numbers, not rates. The primary cause is the officer's entry on the report, not a finding of fault. Open Palm Desert in the crash explorer.
Palm Desert in the state's crash rankings (2023)
Rank 1 is the worst among cities of similar population [source]. Palm Desert's worst category rank among cities of its size was speed-related crashes: 3 of 103. All 28 cities compared.
| Category | Count and rank |
|---|---|
| Size group (population) | Group C (population 51,961) [source] |
| Killed or injured, all crashes | 317 (rank 12/103) [source] |
| Alcohol-involved | 43 (rank 11/103) [source] |
| Motorcycle | 6 (rank 96/103) [source] |
| Pedestrian | 8 (rank 81/103) [source] |
| Bicycle | 14 (rank 55/103) [source] |
| Speed-related crashes | 69 (rank 3/103) [source] |
| Hit-and-run crashes | 15 (rank 51/103) [source] |
| Composite | rank 15/103 [source] |
Local facts: Palm Desert
| Population | U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 population estimate for Palm Desert city, CA: 53,259 (July 1, 2025). Estimates base (April 1, 2020): 51,167. [source] |
|---|---|
| Highways | Palm Desert's speed-zone ordinance (Municipal Code § 10.36.010) sets a 45 mph speed zone on Highway 111 from the west city limit to the east city limit. [source] The same Palm Desert ordinance sets speed zones on Highway 74 inside the city: 35 mph from Highway 111 to El Paseo, 45 mph from El Paseo to Pitahaya Street, and 55 mph from Pitahaya Street to the south city limit. [source] |
| Recent road projects | On April 25, 2024, Palm Desert staff recommended two new mid-block crosswalks with Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB) on El Paseo, replacing three RRFB systems at mid-block crosswalks on El Paseo and Larkspur Lane, and a new crosswalk with an RRFB on University Park Drive. [source] Palm Desert's intersection modifications at Fred Waring Drive and Monterey Avenue and at Haystack Road and Highway 74 (Project CST00003, built by Crosstown Electrical & Data) were recommended for acceptance as complete on January 9, 2025. [source] Haystack Road Traffic Calming and Safety Improvements (Project CST00006): on August 22, 2024, Palm Desert staff recommended a $551,177 contract (plus 10% contingency) with All American Asphalt. [source] Palm Desert's High Visibility Crosswalks Improvement Project: on December 12, 2024, staff recommended a $158,732.50 contract with Superior Pavement Markings, Inc. [source] Market Place Drive and Cook Street Traffic Signal Improvements in Palm Desert: on October 10, 2024, staff recommended a $464,580 contract (plus $47,000 contingency) with DBX, Inc. [source] Vitalia Traffic Signal Installation in Palm Desert: on October 24, 2024, staff recommended a $733,400 contract (plus $73,000 contingency) with DBX, Inc. [source] Walk and Roll PD - Phase 3 Pedestrian Improvements (Project CST00002): on October 10, 2024, Palm Desert staff recommended a $360,700 design contract with TKE Engineering, Inc. [source] CVAG's June 2026 project status report says Caltrans agreed to shelve the planned I-10 interchange at Portola Avenue until funding for right-of-way, utilities and construction is obtained. [source] City of Palm Desert: Monterey Avenue Roadway and Intersection Improvements - construction is underway along Monterey Avenue from Gerald Ford Drive to the bridge at I-10. Work includes asphalt pavement rehabilitation, sidewalk/curb/driveway repairs, traffic signal infrastructure upgrades, and crosswalk and accessibility improvements. The City says that beginning in October, work shifts to grinding and repaving Monterey Avenue from Gerald Ford Drive north to the city limit, mostly at night. No cost is stated on the page. [source] A Caltrans audit memo dated May 17, 2019 covers the City of Palm Desert's I-10/Monterey Avenue Interchange Ramp Modification project, funded with Proposition 1B State-Local Partnership Program funds; the audit did not disclose any findings. [source] |
| Fire and paramedics | The City of Palm Desert states that police, fire, and paramedic services are contracted through the County of Riverside. [source] Riverside County Fire Department lists three Battalion 12 fire stations in Palm Desert: Station 33 (44400 Town Center Way, (760) 346-0508), Station 67 Mesa View (73200 Mesa View Drive, (760) 340-1120) and Station 71 North Palm Desert (73995 Country Club Drive, (760) 346-3335). [source] |
| City traffic safety | Palm Desert's Vision Zero Strategy, set before the City Council for adoption on June 12, 2025 (Resolution 2025-037), aims to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries in Palm Desert by 2040; it came with a Safe Routes to School Plan and a Safe Routes for Older Adults Plan. [source] On January 11, 2024, Palm Desert staff recommended a $948,920 contract with Alta Planning + Design to develop the Palm Desert Vision Zero Strategy. [source] In December 2025, SCAG awarded the City of Palm Desert $885,000 in federal Surface Transportation Block Grant funds for its traffic management system replacement project (reported by CVAG, February 2026). [source] Palm Desert's speed-zone ordinance sets 45 mph on Fred Waring Drive from Highway 111 to Cook Street and 50 mph from Cook Street to Washington Street; Cook Street is 55 mph from Gerald Ford Drive to Country Club Drive and 50 mph from Country Club Drive to Fred Waring Drive. [source] The same ordinance sets 25 mph on El Paseo from Highway 74 to Highway 111 (East) and 35 mph from Highway 111 (West) to Highway 74; Monterey Avenue is 50 mph from I-10 to Dinah Shore Drive, 55 mph from Dinah Shore Drive to Country Club Drive, 50 mph from Country Club Drive to Fred Waring Drive and 45 mph from Fred Waring Drive to Highway 111. [source] In its FY 2021-22 budget, the City of Palm Desert says its Public Works Department maintains traffic control devices, reviews and resolves traffic-related problems, investigates citizens' traffic safety concerns, prepares traffic engineering studies and determines speed limits. [source] Palm Desert Municipal Code Chapter 10.20 directs the traffic division to work with the city traffic engineer to study locations where collisions become numerous and determine remedial measures, and to file an annual traffic report with the city council that includes the number of traffic accidents, persons killed and persons injured. [source] |
| Public transit | SunLine's bus stop inventory counts 53 bus stops in Palm Desert, 43 of them (81%) with shelters. [source] |
| Also note | Palm Desert Municipal Code Chapter 10.78 (Ord. 1041A, 2004) bans electronic personal assistive mobility devices (EPAMDs, such as Segway-type devices) on sidewalks, walkways and pathways in the El Paseo business district, finding they put pedestrians at risk of injury; violations are infractions with fines up to $100. [source] Palm Desert Municipal Code Chapter 10.76 sets up a golf cart transportation plan under the California Streets and Highways Code, with golf cart lanes, minimum golf cart standards, operation requirements, permit procedures and reporting practices. [source] Under Palm Desert's golf cart rules, a golf cart operator must hold a valid driver's license (or qualify under the code's physician-certified disability provision), must meet the Vehicle Code financial responsibility requirements, may operate on public streets only between one hour before sunrise and one hour after sunset, and may carry a maximum of four persons. [source] Palm Desert requires golf carts used on its golf cart lanes to be electrically powered and equipped with items including brake lights, front and rear turn signals, head lamps, a windshield, and seat belts for the driver and all passengers. [source] Palm Desert Municipal Code § 10.99.020 (Ord. 1344, 2018) prohibits mobility sharing programs (shared scooters and shared bicycles) in the city, except for a pilot program if the city council chooses to implement one; the city removes and impounds such devices found in the public right-of-way. [source] |
Police and crash reports in Palm Desert
| Law enforcement | Palm Desert contracts with the Riverside County Sheriff for police services. [source] |
|---|---|
| Online | The city page says the Sheriff offers a Palm Desert LexisNexis BuyCrash portal for entitled parties. [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 Palm Desert
Generally due within six months (Gov. Code § 911.2).
| Filing office | City Clerk's Office Claims Coordinator (cityclerk@palmdesert.gov, (760) 346-0611). [source] |
|---|---|
| Online or email | The city asks claimants to complete the claim form online. [source] |
| Form | The online form lets claimants upload documents and pictures and has an e-signature. It also offers Spanish instructions. [source] |
| Form link | Online form: 'Claim Against the City of Palm Desert For Damage(s) to Person(s) or Personal Property' (Laserfiche). URL: https://lfews.palmdesertegov.com/Forms/ClaimsForm [source] |
| Address | City Hall: 73510 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, CA 92260. [source] |
| Phone | City Clerk Anthony Mejia (760) 776-6304; main line 760-346-0611. [source] |
| Deadline | Death, personal injury or personal property claims: no later than six months after the occurrence. [source] |
| Also note | Make sure the claim is against Palm Desert, not another public entity, because filing deadlines apply. [source] City staff cannot give legal advice. Claimants may consult a private attorney. [source] |
Hurt in Palm Desert?
Tell us what happened in Palm Desert. Our Riverside office handles injury cases across the county, and consultations are free, in English or Spanish.
Courts
Courthouses whose published case lists include Palm Desert: 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 Palm Desert'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 Palm Desert to: What to do after a dog bite →
| County agreement | Riverside County Department of Animal Services provides animal field and shelter services to Palm Desert under an agreement the Board of Supervisors approved through June 30, 2028. [source] |
|---|---|
| Services | The City's budget description says the County contract covers dogs, cats and other domestic animals, including vicious dog problems and dogs loose in public places. [source] |
Guides that mention Palm Desert
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
Hurt in Riverside County?
Talk with our Riverside team about what happened. Consultations are free, in English or Spanish.