The video of the scene shows the brutal consequences of the accident, with the semitruck with a knife hitting the left side of the SUV. Both vehicles stopped at the shoulder.
There were 27 passengers in the SUV during the accident, said Judy Cruz, managing director of the Emergency Department at El Centro Regional Medical Center.
She said 14 people died at the scene and another person died shortly after arriving at the hospital. Other passengers are being treated at El Centro Regional Medical Center and Pioneers Memorial Hospital, near Brawley.
“Patients are going through a difficult time, as you can imagine,” said Adolphe Edward, CEO of El Centro Regional Medical Center. “This was a serious accident and we are attending the emergency room.”
The Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs is caring for four accident patients, the hospital’s director of communications, Todd Burke, told CNN. Three of the four patients are in the intensive care unit and all four were transported directly from the scene to the trauma center.
California Highway Patrol Officer Arturo Platero said the vehicle was moving west on Norrish Road, near State Highway 115, when traveling “on the straight path” of a large platform truck traveling north on 115 The cause of the accident is under investigation.
CNN contacted the individual who posted the video of the scene, but they did not respond immediately.
The crash site was in southeastern California, about 10 miles east of El Centro and about 10 miles north of the Mexican border.