A suspected drunk driver crashed head on into another car last night in Joshua Tree, sending three people to the hospital. About 9 p.m., a Palm Springs man in his late 20s or early 30s, suspected of driving under the influence, was driving an Acura eastbound on Highway 62 when he crossed the center line and crashed head on into a westbound Chevy Lumina at Olympic Road.
The impact caused the Chevy to burst into flames, and passers-by stopped and tried to put out the fire by putting dirt on it. Morongo Basin Ambulance was the first responders on scene and the paramedics tried to put out the fire using fire extinguishers, before fire fighters from Joshua Tree arrived and sprayed water on the male passenger’s legs, which were not in the fire but were hot. The passers-by had pulled out the female driver of the Chevy before MBA arrived. Her male passenger had to be extricated using the Jaws of Life. The suspected DUI driver was walking around on his own.
The Chevy’s passenger and driver suffered significant injuries to their extremities; the passenger was flown to Desert Hospital in Palm Springs; both drivers were taken by ground to Desert Hospital. Eastbound traffic was detoured onto La Contenta and westbound traffic was diverted into the eastbound lanes for about two hours.
