A major traffic collision on Twentynine Palms Highway near Copper Mountain College left one driver dead. Traffic was closed on the stretch of state highway entirely for thirty minutes.
The California Highway Patrol reports that at around 9 a.m. this morning (July 13), a white Honda driven by a 32 year-old Joshua Tree man was traveling westbound on Twentynine Palms Highway near rotary road in Joshua Tree when the driver reportedly swerved, crossing over all four lanes of the highway and hitting an eastbound big-rig dumptruck.
The driver of the Honda was killed in the collision. His identity is not being released until his family can be notified. The driver of the dumptruck was taken to a nearby hospital out of precaution, but suffered no injuries.
UPDATED 1:30 p.m. The CHP has reopened all four lanes of Twentynine Palms Highway. All westbound lanes were closed for approximately thirty minutes, after which they opened through traffic to one lane in each direction for several hours after the collision.
The CHP has said that this crash is still under investigation. It is unknown at this time if alcohol and/or drugs were a factor.
