New details in fiery Twentynine Palms Highway collision that hospitalized 6 people
New details have been released about a collision and car fire on State Route 62 that led to the hospitalization of six people.
As previously reported, on Sunday (September 6) at around 10:15 a.m., California Highway Patrol officers and a crew from San Bernardino County Fire responded to a report of a vehicle fire on Twentynine Palms Highway near mile marker 124, between Wonder Valley and Vidal Junction.
The California Highway Patrol says that a Chevy Tahoe driven by Nathan VillaCortez, a 16 year old from Anaheim, was driving a Chevy Tahoe with four passengers westbound at around 80 mph. The CHP says the Tahoe attempted to overtake a slower vehicle and crossed over painted solid double yellow lines into the westbound lane of traffic, colliding head-on with a Chevy Silverado.
The Chevy Tahoe caught fire after the collision, and VillaCortez suffered from major injuries and was airlifted to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas. Two passengers, both 19 year-old males, suffered major injuries and were airlifted to Abrazo West Hospital in Goodyear, Arizona. A 18 year-old male suffered major injuries and was airlifted to Desert Regional Palm Springs. The fourth passenger, a 16 year-old from Anaheim, suffered minor injuries and was taken by ambulance to Loma Linda Children’s Hospital.
The driver of the Silverado, a 30 year-old male from Redlands, suffered major injuries and was airlifted to Western Arizona Regional in Bullhead City.
CHP says that it is unknown if drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash. The incident remains under investigation and no arrests have yet been made.
