DIRT BIKE RIDER KILLED IN HEAD-ON CRASH ON AMBOY ROAD

A dirt-bike rider, riding without proper lights or a helmet, was killed in a head-on collision east of Twentynine Palms last night. According to the CHP, a 2002, Ford F-350 pick-up truck, driven by Patrick Candelaria, 47, of Twentynine Palms, was traveling eastbound on Amboy Road at 6:11 P.M. and went to pass a slower-moving vehicle just east of Chadwick Road. As the truck passed the vehicle, it crashed head-on into a 1981 600R Honda dirt bike, with improper lighting, traveling westbound on the highway. The male rider, 43, also from Twentynine Palms, was not wearing a helmet and pronounced deceased at the scene. The county coroner has not released his name pending notification of next of kin. Candelaria sustained minor injuries and was medically cleared on scene. Passengers in the pickup, Robert Ash, 29, and Scott Larson II, 29, refused medical treatment. The exact cause of the collision is still under investigation by Officer Adrian Gonzalez.