A 64-year-old Corona man died early Monday after his car veered off East Sixth Street near Radio Road and slammed into several electrical boxes and a light pole, according to police. Robert Benedix was found behind the wheel with major injuries, placed on life support at a Riverside hospital, and pronounced dead hours later.
Benedix was driving westbound on Sixth Street shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday when his vehicle left the roadway and struck the objects near Radio Road, according to MyNewsLA.com. Witnesses called 911, and patrol officers and Corona Fire Department paramedics reached the scene within minutes, finding Benedix still in the car with major injuries. No other vehicles were involved in the crash.
Paramedics rushed Benedix to Riverside Community Hospital, where he was placed on life support. He died from his injuries at 2:25 a.m. Monday, the Corona Police Department reported, with the outlet noting he passed in the predawn hours after the crash.
Impairment Suspected, But Cause Still Under Investigation
Investigators believe alcohol and drug impairment may have contributed to the collision, per the report, though the overall cause of the crash remains under investigation. An autopsy for Benedix was still pending as of Wednesday. Police have not released further details about what preceded the vehicle leaving the road.
The intersection of Sixth Street and Radio Road has seen deadly crashes before. In September 2023, the City of Corona said a vehicle turning left from Radio Road onto Sixth Street struck and killed 46-year-old pedestrian Louis Vasil Feher as he crossed in a crosswalk, according to a notice posted by the City of Corona. That earlier case involved a pedestrian rather than a single-vehicle crash, but it underscores that the same stretch of road has drawn scrutiny before.
Benedix's death also follows other recent fatal wrecks around Corona. Just 11 days earlier, one person died when a Nissan Altima became engulfed in flames in a collision on State Route 91 in Corona, the Press-Enterprise reported. Elsewhere in Riverside County, a Lake Elsinore-Wildomar Patch report described another crash in which a victim was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.
Alcohol-Impaired Driving a Persistent Problem Statewide
Suspected impairment in the Corona crash comes against a backdrop of broader concern about drunk and drugged driving on California roads. The state's Office of Traffic Safety says alcohol-impaired driving remains one of the primary causes of deadly and serious-injury crashes, reporting that 1,355 people were killed in alcohol-involved crashes in 2023, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety. Alcohol-impaired driving also remains a concern in traffic-safety discussions.
Corona Police Department traffic unit investigators are asking anyone with information about Sunday night's crash to call 951-622-6768. The cause of the collision, including what role impairment may have played, remains unresolved while the investigation and autopsy continue.
