UPDATED 1:17 P.M.
Three people were injured Monday in a three-vehicle crash on highway 62 near Copper Mountain College in Joshua Tree at about 1:25 p.m. According to the California Highway Patrol, James Peabody, 26, of Twentynine Palms, was driving a Pontiac Sunfire eastbound on the highway approaching Rotary Way when for unknown reasons his vehicle left the roadway and struck the guardrail. Peabody lost control of his vehicle and crossed over into the westbound lanes, striking a Nissan Sentra driven by Alejandro Medina, 24, of Yucca Valley. After colliding with the Nissan, Peabody’s vehicle struck a Dodge Ram driven by Dakota Drazkowski, 25, of Cheyenne, Wyoming. The Nissan rolled over into the desert on the north shoulder of the highway. The Dodge rolled over into the westbound lanes of the highway. Peabody’s Pontiac also rolled over into the westbound lanes. All drivers were taken by Morongo Basin Ambulance to Desert Hospital in Palm Springs for minor injuries. Both westbound lanes of the highway were closed for about an hour and a half during the investigation, and westbound traffic was diverted into the center turn lane. The California Highway Patrol is investigating. Drugs or alcohol do not appear to be a factor in this collision.
